Newcastle United have a fitness concern ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Benfica at St James’ Park.
Tonali missed training on Monday due to illness and Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the midfielder was a doubt for the match.
The Italian midfielder started Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last time out in the Premier League despite picking up a knock on international duty with Italy and barely training with Newcastle over the past two weeks.
Sandro Tonali illness confirmed
“Yes, a bit of illness with Sandro,” Howe said. “He’ll be touch and go for the game.
“We’ll give him every opportunity. He’s such an important player, so we’ll use all the hours we have.”
With Jacob Ramsey and Lewis Miley both recovering from injuries ahead of the Brighton match, head coach Eddie Howe opted to start Tonali at Brighton before withdrawing him around the 70-minute mark.
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“Lewy Miley hadn't trained for two weeks and Jacob Ramsey's just back from a long layoff himself, so they're difficult players to bring in themselves because they're arguably not 100 per cent match fit either,” Howe explained when asked about his team selection at Brighton.
Miley was introduced into the Brighton game as a half-time substitute for Joelinton while Ramsey replaced Tonali with 20 minutes to play.
“I thought all the substitutes impacted the game pretty well,” Howe added. “I was very pleased with the control that [Miley] brought us, his technical work is excellent, he's outstanding in that area and I thought he brought a composure that our midfield lacked in that first half.”
Sandro Tonali alternatives
Tonali has been a central figure to Newcastle’s success over the past 12 months since moving into the No. 6 midfield role. Miley has previously been used in the role in Newcastle matches and has been identified as a potential alternative to Tonali should the Italian miss out.
Miley has Champions League experience for Newcastle while Ramsey has also played in the competition for Aston Villa, scoring against Young Boys last season.
“They do have experience and they’re very good players,” Howe said. “We’ve got a strong midfield.
“If one player is missing, it’s an opportunity for another to grab theirs. Both [Ramsey and Miley] did well when they came on Saturday.”
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