There are several injury concerns for Newcastle United before their Premier League matchup against Manchester City.
When Newcastle United travels to play Premier League winners Manchester City on Saturday, they will be back in action. It has all the makings of a big game, with both teams vying for a top four position.
The Magpies enter the match having just defeated Birmingham City in a brutal FA Cup match on Saturday. After a fierce battle, United prevailed 3-2 and advanced to the FA Cup’s fifth round.
Players colliding with advertising hoardings, tackles flying in, and plenty of yellow cards were all part of the game. Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, hoped that his injured team wouldn’t sustain any further injuries.
As it was, Dan Burn hobbled off with a groin problem during the second half. Given that Lloyd Kelly left for Juventus and Sven Botman is already sidelined due to a knee injury, Newcastle’s defensive options appear somewhat lacking. That wasn’t the only blow at the weekend, however, as Howe revealed that Anthony Gordon had missed the game due to an injury he picked up in the Carabao Cup win over Arsenal the previous midweek.
“We hope Anthony will be back in contention next weekend,” Howe stated. We handle the cups in the same way as the Premier League; we will pick everyone who is healthy. Anthony had a problem today and was unable to come because he was not fit.
At least Howe’s team hasn’t played a midweek match, so they can try to recover from the weariness that has set in. In preparation for this weekend’s trip to the Etihad, they have returned to the training field.
And in training images shared on social media by the club this afternoon, one of the pictures was of Gordon full of smiles. An emoji with a smiling face was also available.
Howe and the United team would greatly benefit from the attacker being healthy enough to play. With his goal threat, assists, and overall effort, the Newcastle winger has been playing at an exceptionally high level in recent months.
Despite playing Champions League winners Real Madrid and their brilliant array of attacking talent, City’s defense has not been strong in recent months, and they conceded three more goals in midweek. At the weekend, Gordon and Alexander Isak will be hoping for something similar.
Due to their injuries, Burn and Botman are also a cause for concern for Newcastle. Newcastle did not published any training photos of either player.
