Rafa Benitez has led his Newcastle team pretty well this season all things considered, and while not romping away with the league title as many expected, they still sit atop the Championship table.

This week represents an excellent chance for the Magpies to cement their top two place, with a game against lowly Wigan Athletic, who seem set for relegation.

The Toon Army here in the Tavern see this game as an easy three points, and they have been chatting with our landlord over at the pool table about team selection, and if Benitez might ring some changes.

We think that Benitez could well opt for a few tweaks to his line-up, so with that in mind, here are TWO Newcastle players who Benitez could look to drop from today’s XI…

Daryl Murphy

With Dwight Gayle back in contention, Murphy could well find himself back on the bench at St James.

Gayle is the top scorer in the Championship, and with the season now at a crucial stage, Murphy might well be making way for the former Palace striker this weekend.

Ayoze Perez

The Spanish forward was withdrawn last time out in the 0-0 draw with Birmingham, and he could well find himself dropped to the bench from the start this weekend.

Both Jonjo Shelvey – who replaced him against Birmingham – and Christian Atsu will be hoping to get the nod ahead of Perez should Benitez opt for changes.