Newcastle United are back at St James’ Park once again tomorrow, taking on a struggling Burnley side as we look to bounce back from Tuesday’s frustrating draw with Spurs.
As ever, Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media on Friday morning, discussing the latest on injuries and fitness issues heading into Saturday’s 3pm kick-off.
The good news is that Yoane Wissa “did well” in a 30-minute stint in another 11 vs 11 game on Wednesday, with Howe set to assess how the DR Congo striker looks in training today before determining if he can be on the bench tomorrow.
Sandro Tonali had a scan after “dead leg type feeling” that forced him off at the break on Tuesday. Howe seems to think it’s minor and gives him “every chance” of being fit for Burnley.
As for Botman, he’s had an injection on his back and should return “quite quickly”, although the club must give him a week off to see how things settle after the treatment. Read Howe’s quotes below on all three:
Howe on Wissa comeback
“We’re getting closer. We did an 11v11 game, sort of for him, on Wednesday which was good and more minutes for him. Round about half an hour – he did well.
“So far he’s come through everything. We still have training today and we’ll make a decision as to whether he’s ready to not just be fit but fit to make a difference and fit to perform to his high standards.”
“It will be a big boost or the squad when we get a player of his experience and calibre back in the squad. He is a quality player and we’ve seen that in training already.
“We’ve seen all the qualities we saw at Brentford; quick, sharp, movement, finishing and that low centre of gravity.
“His fitness, match sharpness and match readiness is the concern we have. We have to bring him back at the right time.”
Howe on Tonali knock
“He’s had a scan and we don’t think it’s too bad. We’ll give him every chance to declare himself fit. It was a knock very similar to the one Joelinton suffered, a dead leg type feeling.
“Sandro felt it was concerning enough to get scanned but we’ll see how he is today and we’ll give him every chance to be fit.”
Howe on Botman’s back issue
“Sven has had an injection in his back. We hope it will bring him back quite quickly. But we need to give him a week to see how he is.”
Elsewhere, it seems four others will remain out in Nick Pope (groin), Kieran Trippier (hamstring), Emil Krafth (knee) and Will Osula (ankle).
Howe also commented that Tino Livramento is doing well, revealing his relief at his return from a knee issue given Trippier and Krafth won’t be back until around the “Christmas period.”
The same timeframe appears to be true for Pope, with Howe revealing that the goalkeeper is still “2-3 weeks away” and aiming to be back around Christmas.