NUFC absolutely LOVE the Carabao Cup 😍
Newcastle United are set to take on Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Spanish superstar Nico Williams is reportedly a major doubt to face Newcastle United on Wednesday.
UK football fans will best remember Williams for his heroics at Euro 2024 last year. The 23-year-old broke the deadlock against England in the final and formed one half of Spain’s frightening wide attack.
Athletic Bilbao star Williams occupied the left flank, with Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal cutting in from the right. Ironically, a similar injury to one Yamal suffered in September will likely rule Williams out against Newcastle.
Nico Williams injury latest
Some Toon fans viewed Yamal’s omission as a bittersweet moment, with St James’ Park robbed of witnessing a future great in action. He suffered an obscure injury in the pelvic area and missed Barca’s 2-1 win on Tyneside.
And in the same fashion, Spanish teammate Williams could be about to follow suit. Marca report that the winger is “living in pain” due to a pubalgia problem.
He was named on the bench for the Basque derby at the weekend and has struggled to stay fit this season. Just over 500 minutes of action across all competitions has resulted in completing a full game just once.
The report claims he may require surgery in the long term - which would rule him out for three months. On leaving him out, manager Ernesto Valverde said: “He’s been carrying a slight knock. Watching the game, it might have been a bit much to start him. We’ll see how the match goes and if he’s able to play.”
Ernesto Valverde on Champions League
Bilbao have one win and two defeats in the Champions League this season. Valverde remains aware of how difficult it is to compete among Europe’s elite as an underdog.
“Teams are stronger in the Champions League,” he added. “In the Europa League, we had a better chance of advancing. Last season, the results went our way, but this year it’s more complicated with stronger opponents.”
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Eddie Howe on Lamine Yamal
Eddie Howe’s comments on Yamal’s injury perhaps give an insight into how he feels about Williams potentially missing out. He said at the time: “Whenever I get asked about these types of questions, I think my answer is always the same. You want to play the best teams, you want to play against the best players, you want to challenge yourselves as much as you can.”
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