Bournemouth v Newcastle United: 3 key talking points

Newcastle boss Steve McClaren has spent most of the last week sweating over his goalkeeping situation, but his decision not to make an emergency loan signing strongly suggests things are not as bad as was initially feared last weekend.

Rob Elliot has trained, and while he continues to be troubled by a long-standing thigh injury, it now looks all but certain that the Irishman will start tomorrow.

THIGH PROBLEMS: Rob Elliot

That is a risk, but McClaren appears to have concluded that it is less of a gamble than throwing untried teenager Freddie Woodman into the pressure-cooker environment of a Premier League fixture.

Elliot got through last weekend’s goalless draw with Stoke City unscathed even though his thigh was clearly hindering his movement throughout the second half. Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe will have spotted that, and will surely be telling his attacking players to try to engineer a one-on-one behind the Newcastle defence where Elliot’s lack of mobility could be a problem.

THE £12m BENCH-WARMER

Florian Thauvin, remember him? Having tracked the French winger for the best part of two years, Newcastle’s recruitment team were cock-a-hoop when they prised him from Marseille earlier this summer.

FORGOTTEN MAN: Florian Thauvin

Since then, however, Thauvin’s Premier League involvement has been limited to three starts and three substitute appearances, and last weekend he cut an extremely disillusioned figure as he half-heartedly went through his warm-up exercises, only to remain on the bench as Newcastle failed to break down Stoke.

McClaren clearly feels he cannot trust the 22-year-old, and the final straw appears to have been September’s League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, which saw Thauvin hauled off at the interval after he had repeatedly conceded possession cheaply in the first half.

It already looks as though Thauvin’s Newcastle career is heading in the same direction as that of Hatem Ben Arfa and Remy Cabella, but should McClaren really be writing him off already? Thauvin clearly has talent, but as things stand, the Magpies haven’t been able to work out how to harness it.

MIGHT THE CHERRIES BE RIPE FOR PLUCKING?

Bournemouth received a lot of plaudits for their early efforts in the top-flight, but their form has tailed off dramatically and they head into tomorrow’s game looking to end a run of seven matches without a victory in all competitions.

Their most recent home outing ended in a thumping 5-1 defeat to Tottenham, and the open, expansive style that proved so effective in the Championship last season is leaving Bournemouth vulnerable to the more clinical sides that populate the top-flight.

Callum Wilson’s long-term injury has hit the Cherries hard, and with Glenn Murray currently filling the lone striker role, Bournemouth are struggling to adapt their style to suit a less mobile and pacy lone striker.

Can Newcastle take advantage of their struggles? The Magpies’ last away win was January’s 3-0 victory at Hull City’s KC Stadium, so they have hardly been prolific on the road. Even so, they might not get many better chances to improve that record.