Eddie Howe issues Joelinton injury update as £40m star eyes Carabao Cup final vs Liverpool

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has quashed fears of Joelinton missing the Carabao Cup final.

A knee injury forced the Brazilian to miss the second leg of the Magpies’ semi-final 4-0 aggregate victory over Arsenal, with Howe revealing after the game last week that the midfielder would miss the “next few league matches”.

After beating Birmingham City last Saturday to advance into the fifth round of the FA Cup, where they will host Brighton & Hove Albion at St James’ Park, United return to Premier League action away to Manchester City this afternoon.

Joelinton, who joined from Hoffenheim for £40m in July 2019, won’t be available, and he is also expected to miss the next two league games against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. Newcastle then face Brighton and West Ham United before heading to Wembley, where it is hoped Joelinton will already be back with the squad.

“We hope by that time he will be back fit and available,” said Howe. “He's making good progress. Joe, when he approaches his injury recovery, is very positive, very driven to get back and to shave time off the estimated target that he's given, which is a great thing.

“But also we need to control that and make sure that he comes back in a really good place. But he's very positive at the moment.”

How do Newcastle United cope without Joelinton?

Against Arsenal, Howe switched from a three-man midfield to a two-man midfield, instead preferring to play a five-man defence whilst instructing Sven Botman, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar to press high.

Botman picked up a knee issue in the game and has been ruled out of the visit to the Etihad Stadium. Howe could stick with the same system and bring Emil Krafth, though that would be dependent on Dan Burn’s fitness.

Burn was withdrawn in the second-half against Birmingham with a groin complaint but Howe revealed at his pre-match press conference that the Blyth-born defender is close to being fit.

At St Andrew’s, Howe reverted back to his usual 4-3-3 system, with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali playing 45 minutes each alongside Sean Longstaff and Lewis Miley.

As well as Longstaff and Miley, Howe also has Joe Willock at his disposal. With Anthony Gordon missing last weekend, Willock was asked to play in a wide left role and delivered a man of the match display with two goals.