Newcastle United are boosted by the return of three key players for this afternoon’s Premier League away to Burnley (kick-off 3pm).
Eddie Howe is boosted by the return of Miguel Almiron, Nick Pope and Joelinton, who take their place on the bench at Turf Moor. Almiron has missed a month with a knee injury, while Pope and Joelinton are back after their respective long-term injures.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Howe teased the trio’s potential involvement. He said: “We’ve had Miggy and Joelinton return to training this week, first steps back into full team training. We’ve also seen that with Nick Pope as well so it’s been a good positive week to have three experienced quality players back. It’s certainly given us a big lift.
“We’ll see after today [if they’ll be involved vs Burnley]. I’ve got to make the right decisions for them individually and the team. They’ve been out different time lengths but they’ve had significant injuries so we need to make sure we get this one right.”
Howe is set to make two changes to his starting XI from last weekend’s 5-1 win over Sheffield United. As expected, Emil Krafth comes in for the injured Fabian Schar, who is likely to miss the rest of the campaign with a minor hamstring issue. The second change sees Callum Wilson replace Elliot Anderson.
Here’s Newcastle United’s starting XI and subs in full:
1. GK: Martin Dubravka
Has started 26 games since the beginning of December in Nick Pope’s absence. | Getty Images
2. CB: Emil Krafth (in for Fabian Schar)
Krafth replaced Fabian Schar against Sheffield United after the Swiss defender withdrew with a hamstring injury. | Getty Images
3. RB: Tino Livramento
Has had trouble with his ankle in recent weeks but managed to come through unscathed against Sheffield United. | AFP via Getty Images
4. CB: Dan Burn
Stand-in skipper Burn has been outstanding at centre-half in recent weeks. A role model both on and off the pitch. | Getty Images