After the international break, Newcastle United will face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday (21 October), and Eddie Howe has revealed some encouraging injury news ahead of the encounter.
The Magpies manager is pleased to welcome striker Joelinton, who has worked well throughout the break. The Brazilian striker hasn’t played since Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Burnley, but he’s been impressing in training.
Howe has described the Brazilian as a “huge player” for the club and believes he will regain his best form soon. Last season, Joelinton had eight goals and three assists in all competitions. He has yet to open his scoring account, but Howe has high hopes for him.
“We hope Joelinton will be back this weekend. He’s trained well and looked good. he’s done a lot of work so I’m confident as I sit here now that he’s going to be OK and hopefully he’ll return to the form we know he can produce. A huge player for us,” said Howe, as quoted by BBC Sport.
Other injury news
Joe Willock is almost back to full strength. The former Arsenal midfielder has been out with a hamstring injury since last season, but it appears he is now fit to play.
Willock has trained with the first team this week, according to Howe, but he wants to utilize him wisely. The Magpies manager has stated that the game may have come too soon for Willock.
Alexander Isak is also skeptical. He has not trained with the squad, and the Magpies will decide whether he can play against Palace at the last minute.
Sven Botman is also now injured. According to Howe, the defender is improving but will be out for another two weeks or so.
Newcastle have had a poor start to the season, sitting eighth in the table with 13 points. Palace is just one point behind them in ninth place, with 12 points.
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