Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has several injury problems to deal with as his side return to Premier League action against West Ham.
The Magpies remain on a high after their 4-1 thrashing of PSG in midweek as Champions League football made a return to St James’ Park.
Newcastle will be back in domestic action on Sunday as they make the trip to London to face the Hammers looking to build on their run of four straight wins in all competitions.
However, Howe will have a number of challenges to overcome with several players unavailable.
“The injury list doesn’t look great but apart from Harvey Barnes I don’t think there’s anything long-term there,” he explained. “We’ll wait and see how Callum Wilson and Joelinton are, they’re the closest two.
“We have Anthony Gordon suspended which is a blow for us and Sven Botman won’t make it on Sunday.”
Newcastle players available will also need to put aside the excitement of Wednesday night’s victory to concentrate on securing three Premier League points. Howe encouraged his squad to focus on the immediate challenge ahead with a long way still to go this season.
“We have to be calm and recognise we are in the early stages of the season,” he explained. “We’ve got a lot to prove before we can say anything about what we’ve done.
“We’ve just put ourselves in a good position in our Champions League group and we are still formulating our Premier League position.”
Howe also took the opportunity to look back at the “life-changing” decision to join the club following the most momentous result of his tenure. Saturday marks two years since the takeover of the club was completed with Howe appointed manager a month later.
“I knew when I took the job, the moment came when I was offered the job and I was going to say yes, that it was a life-changing moment for me,” he said. “Thankfully it has been a great journey so far. I have loved every second of it.
“I said when I arrived I was very proud to be Newcastle manager and I’ve never woken up without that feeling. The feeling that I am doing something very special in my life is always there and it’s never something I take for granted.”
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