The TWO players every Newcastle United fan is talking about ahead of crunch Norwich City clash

Eddie Howe will make at least two changes to his Newcastle United starting XI to face Norwich City on Tuesday night.

Club captain Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie will miss out through suspension after picking up their fifth yellow cards of the campaign during the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday.

Who will replace them? Well, Federico Fernandez and Jamal Lewis are names fans are talking about most.

What did Eddie Howe say about Lascelles & Ritchie’s absence?

Howe said: “With Jamaal (Lascelles) and Matt Ritchie’, they’re two big absences and two leaders within the team. It’s going to be a big loss for us.

“There are going to be opportunities, I think that always (is the case) when you have a suspension or injury.

“It’s disappointing for the players not involved but an opportunity for someone else.

“It’s good for us to see the squad because there are some players I’ve seen very little of in my time here due to various reasons.

“I’m confident whoever comes in will give a very good account of themselves for the team.”

Will Fernandez and Lewis be recalled?

Fernandez hasn’t featured in a matchday squad since early October when Newcastle lost 2-1 at Wolves - but that is likely to change on Tuesday.

With those two players suspended, Dwight Gayle still doubtful and Elliot Anderson understood to be injured, Howe seemingly has no choice but to at least ahd the Argentine a place on the bench.

The question is, will he throw the 32-year-old straight back into the XI or again put faith in Ciaran Clark, who started against Brentford before being dropped at Arsenal?

Lewis, meanwhile, hasn’t started a Premier League match since February and has played just three minutes in the league this season.

With Howe keen for his full-backs to push forward, fans are keen to see how Lewis copes in that set-up. Indeed, many feel he could be a perfect fit.

What must they do to impress Howe?

As explained by Howe himself: “To get into the team, the training performances are so important.

“We judge the players every day. We’re forensic with our analysis. We film training, watch it back, dissect it and review the players’ performances.

“For players not in the team, that’s their window to impress us.

“We have a good squad of players to pick from. The attitude of the players not involved have been very good, they’re supporting the team whilst obviously being desperate to play.

“There are two openings from players in this game due to suspensions, so that will be interesting for us to utilise the squad and give opportunities to players.

“Ultimately, there are a lot of games coming up and we will need everybody and everyone will get an opportunity to stake their claim.”