Newcastle United host Manchester United on Wednesday night, in a matchup of two sides going in opposite directions. Just look at the Premier League form guide: United WWDWW Newcastle LLWLL. It’s like perfect symmetry, with each the inverse of the other. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has three injured players who could be in contention to come back at some point this week, or next: Jacob Ramsey, Valentino Livramento and Lewis Miley.
And of course, you have the three injured players who won’t be coming back anytime soon- Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes.
Manchester United at Newcastle FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. March 4, 8:15pm, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK
Team News: Manchester United Newcastle United
Google Result Probability: Man United win 37% Draw 26% Newcastle United win 37%
Premier League Form: Manchester United WWDWW Newcastle LLWLL
Premier League Standing: Manchester United 3rd, 51 pts Newcastle 13th 36 pts
Newcastle Team News
Howe provided an update on the last name on that list, over the weekend.
We’ll get to Bruno in a bit, but let’s cover Ramsey first, who could only do a half on Saturday. He scored in the first half, and was getting ready to play on in the second, until suffering a vomiting fit on the pitch. Obviously, Ramsey was feeling ill, needed to be subbed, and he’s now a doubt for the next match given the very quick turnaround.
“It looked like an illness,” Howe said. ” At first, I was aware it was at half-time. He felt he could continue, but it was obvious at the start of that half that he couldn’t.”
As for Livramento, he’s getting closer to returning, but next weekend is much more likely than this match.
“I think Tino will be early March,” Howe said on Friday. “He has done well, he has been training and running for a period of time. I think when he comes back, he will be in a good place.”
Tino is rehabbing a thigh injury, as is Miley, who could make a return before the March international break. However, Newcastle need to play it safe with him. Otherwise, his return could be delayed
“Lewis, he has had a couple of injections, we are looking at a couple of weeks for him,” Howe said on Friday. “If we don’t get the management of this injury right, he could be out for the season.”
They definitley don’t want to lose him for the full season, and kind of on that topic, sort of, Guimaraes (hamstring injury) is not shut down for the remainder. He should feature again before the 2025-26 term expires.
“I have had some good contact with Bruno,” Howe said.
“He seems very positive with his injury and how he feels. He has done a lot of work. We hope that he can come back and give us a push at the back end of the season. We have to treat his [hamstring] injury carefully.”
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.