Newcastle United £90m pair return to training ahead of Champions League clash v Qarabag
Newcastle United could be handed a double injury boost for their Champions League clash against Qarabag.
Newcastle United trained on Monday afternoon ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League play-off second-leg clash at home to Qarabag.
The Magpies lead 6-1 from the first-leg win in Azerbaijan thanks to four goals from Anthony Gordon and a goal in either half from Malick Thiaw and Jacob Murphy.
With a five-goal advantage, United are almost certain to progress into the last 16, where they will face either Barcelona or Chelsea, but Eddie Howe is keen to focus very much remains the same.
For Kitchens, Bedrooms & Joinery, visit HOWDENS BLYTH. Free Planning & Design Service, visit BLYTH DEPOT to get started.
Sven Botman pictured in training for Newcastle United
Malick Thiaw started Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat away to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday night but is forced to drop out of the squad against Qarabag as he serves a one-match suspension.
The German centre-back’s yellow card in Baku last week was his third in this season’s Champions League. Three bookings before the semi-final stage automatically results in a one-match suspension.
But while Thiaw drops out, Howe’s squad hope to be boosted by the return of Sven Botman, who was spotted in training by the Sky Sports News cameras on Monday.
Ahead of Champions League matches, accredited media are given access to the opening 15 minutes of training and Botman was with the group. However, that does not guarantee the player’s availability.
For example, both Dan Burn and Will Osula trained before the PSV Eindhoven match last month but weren’t included in the matchday squad for the 3-0 win as they recovered from their respective injuries.
Botman was due to be in the squad for the visit to Man City at the weekend but ended up missing his third game in a row with a back issue.
Speaking after the game, Howe told NewcastleWorld: “Yes, we thought he was going to be available yesterday [Friday], but he just didn't feel 100% right, so we didn't want to take any chances with him.
“We hope he'll be available on Tuesday, but that's not 100% clear currently.”
Without Botman, Newcastle would have just senior defenders available in Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Lewis Hall, though they have under-21s duo Alex Murphy and Leo Shahar as back-up.
Murphy has made four substitute appearances this campaign, but is yet to feature in the Champions League. Shahar, 18, is still awaiting his senior debut.
Yoane Wissa also pictured in Newcastle United training
As well as Botman, £55million summer signing Yoane Wissa was also pictured in training, having missed the last three matches with a “nasty knock”.
Gordon has played as the centre-forward in recent weeks, while Nick Woltemade has dropped into the midfield. If fit, either Wissa or Will Osula could be in contention to take Gordon’s place, with one eye on Saturday’s important Premier League clash at home to Everton.
18-year-old striker Sean Neave is also hopeful of more minutes after making his debut as 87th minute substitute in the first-leg.