Sandro Tonali illness update as Newcastle United midfielder ruled out v Sunderland
Newcastle United injury news ahead of matches against Barcelona and Sunderland.
Newcastle United will make a late decision on Sandro Tonali for Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 second-leg match away to Barcelona.
Newcastle travel to Spain with the tie level after Lamine Yamal’s last-minute penalty cancelled out Harvey Barnes’ 86th-minute opener in a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park last week.
Barca have won all 12 home matches since returning to the Spotify Camp Nou, with the last seven won by three goals or more. United head into the game on the back of Saturday’s 1-0 win away to Chelsea in the Premier League.
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Eddie Howe previews Newcastle United’s Champions League tie away to Barcelona
Previewing the game, Eddie Howe said: “I think we're going to need a bit of everything tomorrow. So we're going to need certainly a defensive mentality, how to get to Chelsea, blocking shots, defending our goal, defending in numbers, hats in space, we need to do all of that.
“We're also going to need a bit of what we do best, which is our running capacity, which is our athleticism, both on and off the ball.
“So I think an all-round game for us, we're going to need to be able to set plays, all the things that always contribute to your results, but we're going to have to do it better than any other game we've done this season. “
Newcastle United set to make late Sandro Tonali decision
Tonali has travelled with the squad after missing the Chelsea game through illness. In his absence, Jacob Ramsey stepped into the central role with Nick Woltemade and Joe Willock either side.
Speaking after the game, Howe said: “He was feeling unwell after training [Friday].
“It quickly became apparent that he wouldn't be able to travel. So, fingers crossed it follows a similar pattern with the other illnesses we've had [and] it's quite a quick recovery.
“There's been something going around now for two to three weeks in the squad. Fingers crossed, it's the same.”
The Italian will train at the Camp Nou this evening and Howe will make a late decision on his availability.
Howe said: "We’ll have a look at him today. Today is the first day we’ve seen him. We’ll make a decision tomorrow."
Lewis Miley ruled out of Sunderland clash
Willock was forced off in the latter stages at Stamford Bridge but has travelled to Barcelona and is expected to be involved.
Meanwhile, Lewis Miley is again absent despite hope that he would return against Barca. The 19-year-old hasn’t featured since the 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain on January 28 due to muscle damage.
Howe says it is likely the midfielder won’t be back until after the international break, ruling him out of Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland.
Howe told NewcastleWorld: “Lewis is not with the squad, unfortunately. He's training at home today, so we're probably looking at the other side of the international break for Lewis now. It's just taken a little bit longer than we hoped.”