Newcastle United are in must win mode when they host Aston Villa on Sunday. A big win here over a Premier League title contender would no doubt be a statement victory. And Newcastle boss Eddie Howe might have Dan Burn and William Osula back at his disposal, in hopes of achieving just that. At the same time, however, Howe will hope that the injury to Bruno Guimaraes isn’t serious.
Guimaraes suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the 3-0 win over PSV Einhoven in midweek, and he couldn’t carry on playing.
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Dec. 26, 3pm, St. James Park
Team News for Both Teams: Aston Villa Newcastle United
PL Form, Standings: Aston Villa 3rd, 43 pts, WLWDL Newcastle 8th 33 pts, LWWWD
Google Result Probability: Aston Villa 27% Draw 25% Newcastle 48%
Newcastle Team News
However, at his prematch news conference earlier today, said:
“We hope it is not serious; extent of the injury is still unknown, he was reasonably positive after the game; he is the guy that will never rule anything out, we are going to give him every chance for this weekend. We will try and make the right decision with Bruno; he is a pivotal player.”
So we’ll just have to wait and see on that.
As for Burn, Howe explained: “Possibly [for Sunday], I think. He is out with the players today, possibly the first day where he’s training fully with the group, taking contact, and that will be the key for him. But he’s desperate to get back involved, so that’s a great sign.”
So maybe he’ll be in the mix this weekend; ditto for Osula, who Howe described as “not too far away” on Tuesday. Other than that, the Newcastle injury situation remains the same as it was, heading into the Eindhoven match.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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 and the Washington Post.