Eddie Howe will have to deal with the loss of one of his key first-team players when Newcastle United face Manchester City this weekend, it has been announced.
City will play their first Premier League match of the new year, hoping to take advantage of a moment when a number of top-flight rivals will be missing African and Asian stars due to ongoing international competitions on their respective continents.
With Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal all vying for Manchester City’s remarkable fourth Premier League title in a row, Pep Guardiola and his team must win consecutive games in the coming weeks.
That begins with a trip to Newcastle United, where Eddie Howe’s side hopes to improve their form and build a stronger challenge for the Premier League’s European places this season.
However, while injuries have wreaked havoc on the North-East giants this season, the Magpies’ luck on the treatment table does not appear to be changing anytime soon, with the appearance of a new injury problem.
According to the Daily Mail’s North-East football journalist Craig Hope, Newcastle midfielder and Brazil international Joelinton will miss Saturday’s match against Manchester City owing to a thigh injury, despite the fact that the situation is ‘not too serious’.
In terms of Manchester City’s continued fitness difficulties, Jeremy Doku scored in a 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town last weekend, marking his long-awaited return to duty after suffering a muscular injury in late November.
Erling Haaland, on the other hand, is still out with a foot injury but is working with the City group, and John Stones is in the early stages of recovering from an ankle injury sustained against Everton in the Premier League last month.
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