Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe.Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe. | Getty Images
Newcastle United are set to be without a defensive linchpin as the race for Champions League football hots up.
Arsenal and Chelsea have had their hopes of booking a place in the Champions League next season boosted by news of a key injury to a Premier League rival ahead of the final two outings of the league season.
The Gunners sit second in the top flight but are enduring a precarious run of form. Mikel Arteta’s men have only won one of their last six Premier League matches, struggling for goals with four of those fixtures finishing in draws.
Arsenal are not helped by a suspension to makeshift Mikel Merino ahead of the final two matches. While the club has only lost one Premier League match since February, just five points separate second and sixth, underlining the importance of three points right now.
Arsenal and Chelsea chasing Champions League qualification
One of the clubs that could snatch a Champions League place and cause a headache for Arsenal and Chelsea is Newcastle United. The Magpies are in third on 66 points, two points behind Arsenal and three points ahead of Chelsea.
Eddie Howe’s men are preparing for a crunch clash at the Emirates Stadium before finishing the season against Everton at St James’ Park but fear they could be without key defender Sven Botman for those matches.
Botman, who was signed from Lille for £32 million, started his first match in over three months in the 2-0 win against Chelsea and was commanding at the heart of defence as Enzo Maresca’s club failed to score on Tyneside.
Newcastle United handed injury blow
Early in the second half, Botman was hooked early in the second half against Chelsea with a knee problem and, given his fitness battles, that was cause for concern in the North East. When asked if Botman was okay after the game, Howe told The Gazette: “We hope so. He was icing a [knee] problem at half-time, so we hope he's okay. With that in mind and the fact I felt we needed to change tactically, we made a change, brought Lewy [Miley] on.
“It was a big moment for Lewy and I thought he handled that situation, a lot of pressure on him, really, really well, so I was really pleased. “But the second half was very much a tactical affair with lots going on, so I'm pleased with the adaptability of the squad.”
The Telegraph has now claimed that Newcastle United have ‘huge concerns’ that Botman will miss the final two games of the season. The Dutchman has missed training this week ahead of the Arsenal match.
Botman has started just six games for his side this season due to knee problems. The defender previously suffered two ACL injuries last season with the second keeping him out of action for 10 months.
He has played twice against Arsenal this season and had no problem in dealing with the Gunners’ attacking threat, managing clean sheets in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final as Newcastle United won 4-0 on aggregate. His absence is a boost for Arteta and, should the Magpies drop points, to Maresca as well.
In other news, Arsenal vs Newcastle United early injury news as 8 ruled out and 6 doubts.
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