Newcastle United could get a whole host of players back from injury when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday. Emil Krafth (knee) and Kieran Trippier (thigh) have both been out for well over a month, but manager Eddie Howe (back on Dec. 16) predicted that the pair could return around the new year.
So with that in mind, Happy New Year! The visit from Palace will mark the Magpies’ first game of 2026.
Crystal Palace at Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Jan 4, 2024, at 3pm St. Park James, Newcastle, UK
Google Result Probability: Newcastle 58% Draw 23% Crystal Palace 19%
PL Position, Form Guide: Newcastle 13th, 26 pts, WLDLW Crystal Palace, 10th, 27 pts WLLLD
Newcastle United Team News
So we’ll see if Trippier and Krafth return or not this weekend. Meanwhile forward Anthony Elanga is the latest injury concern, having suffered a knock of some sort against Chelsea back on December 20.
“We don’t think it’s too serious,” Howe said on Boxing Day. “We hope to have him back pretty quickly.”
Meanwhile Sven Botman could be in contention to return from a lower back injury here. Or maybe the next game.
We’ll have to wait and see with William Osula (ankle) and Jamaal Lascelles (unspecified) too.
Perhaps it will still be another week with them. And then finally, Dan Burn (ribs) and Valentino Livramento (knee) remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
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.