Newcastle United suffered a very embarrassing loss yesterday, 3-1 to Premier League bottom feeder West Ham United. Adding injury to insult, the Magpies now have two new fitness concerns, in Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon, ahead of the visit from Athletic Club on Wednesday night.
Both players are basically 50/50 propositions for the midweek UEFA Champions League group phase clash.
Champions League Match Day 4 of 8 FYIs
Athletic Club at Newcastle United
Kickoff: Wed. Nov. 5, 8pm, St. James’ Park, Newcastle, UK
Newcastle Preview Material: Team News Predicted Starting XI
UCL Group Phase Standing, Form: Athletic Club 21st, 3 pts, LLW Newcastle United 8th, 6 pts LWW
Newcastle Team News
We start with Trippier, who missed the Sunday defeat due to an unspecified illness.
“We’ll wait and see [for Wednesday],” Geordies boss Eddie Howe said in postgame.
Moving on to Gordon, he had to be subbed off at half-time, due to an issue with his hip/groin/pelvic area. Said Howe: “Anthony was feeling his hip slightly.”
There was some good news though, as Lewis Hall came off the injured list and made the matchday squad versus the Irons.
However, he didn’t feature. Maybe he will in this one.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.