Newcastle United face Manchester City in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but Eddie Howe could be without key players for the clash.
The Magpies return to Premier League action this weekend and with success in both domestic cup competitions over the last week there will be plenty of confidence in the team.
Newcastle earned their second trip to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final after further destroying Arsenal’s hopes for a trophy this season with another 2-0 victory in the second leg of their semi-final clash at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening.
Then on Saturday afternoon, Eddie Howe took his cup finalists down to Birmingham to chase another trophy dream in the FA Cup fourth round, Birmingham City put up a good fight but a Joe Willock brace and Callum Wilson strike sent the Tynesiders through.
The two domestic victories have put Newcastle in an envious position as they become the only Premier League club still capable of winning the domestic treble this season, while the Premier League title might seem farfetched – it is not impossible for the Geordies to achieve.
Focus returns back to their Premier League campaign this weekend with a trip to Manchester to face the reigning Champions at their home ground, and it presents an opportunity for Newcastle to take crucial points from their competition for a Champions League spot.
The North East giants currently match the Sky Blues for points, goal difference and games won, lost and drawn this season so far, making this particular match up an interesting one to watch on Saturday afternoon.
While the Geordies have as good a chance as anyone to take all three points from Man City this weekend, there are several injury concerns for Eddie Howe to contend with between now and the weekend.
Which Newcastle players are a doubt vs Man City?
Fan favourite Anthony Gordon was noticeably missing from the matchday squad at St Andrews over the weekend, something the Newcastle boss addressed revealing he was out with a quad injury.
However, when asked about the winger’s chances of featuring against Man City, Howe gave a positive outlook:
“We hope so,”
“We’ve treated the cups the same for the past few years. Everyone that’s fit we’ll take. So he’s not here today, which means he’s obviously got a problem.”
Defensive warrior Dan Burn was in the starting eleven against Birmingham on Saturday playing an important role in the aggressive clash, but he unfortunately became a casualty in the hard-fought victory.
The 32-year-old Blyth born ace was hooked in the 55th minute, Howe spoke in his post-match interview to shed light on Burn’s condition:
“We were forced to take Dan off. It was something with his groin. Fingers crossed, it’s not too bad.”
In another blow to the defensive set up, recent returnee Sven Botman was – like Gordon – not featured in the matchday squad for the FA Cup clash after suffering a knee injury in the clash with the Gunners midweek.
The 25-year-old star was taken off the pitch in the 85th minute against Arsenal, with Howe reassuring fans that the injury occurred to the knee unrelated to his ACL surgery which would have been a massive relief.
Howe spoke after the Carabao Cup game last week to deliver the verdict on Botman:
“I don’t think he’ll be available this weekend. He’s taken a knock to the knee, the opposite one to the ACL. It isn’t a serious injury, but it’ll keep him out of Birmingham before we assess him next week.”
All three players are likely to be assessed closely over the coming days and subjected to a late fitness test to determine whether they will be fit enough to take on the challenge at the Etihad this weekend, and fans will likely have to wait until Howe’s press conference on Friday to get a definite update on the trio’s fitness.
Jamaal Lascelles, Harvey Barnes and Joelinton are all expected to remain unavailable for selection for the upcoming Premier League fixture, with Barnes the only one of the three expected to return before March.
