Newcastle United have two huge games left this season.
While last week’s win over Chelsea has put Newcastle United in a great position to qualify for next season’s Champions League, the job is not done just yet.
Indeed, Eddie Howe’s side effectively need just three points from their final two Premier League games. That, however, will not be easy given they first travel to Arsenal on Sunday before hosting a relatively rejuvenated Everton on the final day.
With that in mind, the Newcastle United manager could do with having as many key players as possible. Joelinton is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, robbing Howe of one of his most important stars.
Joe Willock and Kieran Trippier missed the win over Chelsea too, which is a concern. More concerning is the recent news in regard to Sven Botman.
The defender has suffered with injury issues for what feels like an age now. He started against Chelsea but Luke Edwards of The Daily Telegraph suggested Newcastle now have huge concerns about Botman’s fitness.
However, there was a more promising update on Thursday night.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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Sven Botman could play for Newcastle United again this season
Edwards took to social media platform X hours after his initial update.
He revealed that Botman was now considered “touch and go” for both the Arsenal game on Sunday as well as the final two games of the season as a whole.
It’s difficult to know where we stand with the Dutchman here. Clearly a brilliant defender on his day, it would be brilliant to have him available as the Toon look to get over the line in the Champions League race.
However, having struggled to keep fit after every comeback thus far, taking any risks feels unwise.
How many games has Sven Botman missed through injury?
Newcastle paid £35million to sign Botman from Lille in the summer of 2022 and the defender has looked worth every penny of that.
The sheer number of games he’s missed through injury, however, cannot be ignored.
Since joining the club, he’s been forced to sit out of 59 games.
Games Games missed through injury
74 59
Sven Botman’s fitness record for Newcastle United
Botman suffered a serious knee injury in late 2023 and initially refused surgery before being forced to go under the knife following an ACL injury suffered in March 2024.
It has not been an easy ride for the 25-year-old. Howe has confirmed he’s held “difficult conversations” with Botman about his injury record, with the former Lille star clearly frustrated.