For Newcastle United, their Champions League Play-off tie is already in the bag. So, basically, Qarabag FK is in the bag. Up 6-1 from the road leg of the tie, this upcoming home leg is a chance for manager Eddie Howe to shuffle his rotation, and play some of the kids and/or reserves. It’s also a great chance for some of the recently injured guys, who are now match fit, to get some minutes. Sven Botman (lower back) and Yoane Wissa (unspecified) could both be back on the pitch for the midweek continental competition.
Champions League Play-Off Leg 2 of 2
Newcastle United vs Qarabag FK
Aggregate: Newcastle leads 6-1.
Kickoff: Tue. Feb 24, 8pm, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK
Google Win Probability (90 min): Newcastle United win 85% Draw 10% Qarabag FK win 5%
Newcastle United Team News
“I don’t think he’ll be available tomorrow, but I don’t think he’ll be too far off, maybe the Qarabag game,” Howe said on Friday, in regards to Wissa.
“It was in training, a nasty knock, but I think he’ll be fine.”
Neither Wissa nor Botman featured in the 2-1 loss to Manchester City yesterday. However, Howe did say this during his Friday news conference, in regards to the latter:
“Better news on Sven, he could be in and around this game.”
So both, at least ideally, should be good to go here. Meanwhile Lewis Miley is a couple weeks away, as he continues recovering from a thigh injury.
Howe gave the following update on Friday:
“Lewis still has a little bit to go. Without going into too much medical stuff, which is beyond me, it was a dead leg, but it disturbed a bit of the muscle.
“I don’t think he’s too far away, nothing more than a week or a couple of weeks maximum, but we’ve been told that we’ve got to be careful with it.”
Otherwise the Newcaste team news situation remains the same- Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar 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.