Newcastle United travel to Arsenal in the Premier League looking to end a run of four consecutive defeats.
The Magpies had been without their captain for 10 weeks before he made his comeback as a 62nd-minute substitute in last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth at St James’ Park.
Guimaraes played a role in Will Osula’s equaliser but was one of the players accused of not tracking his man as Adrian Truffert scored an 85th-minute winner for the Cherries.
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Eddie Howe admitted Guimaraes “struggled physically at times” but after a full week of training is in contention to start the Emirates.
‘Game-changing’ Bruno Guimaraes in contention to start v Arsenal
Asked if Guimaraes was fit to start and if so, how game-changing that could be, Howe said: "He's had a full week of training and he's trained really well. I've been very pleased with him.
“It's been tough for him. I think you could see against Bournemouth that he came on with all the right intentions to deliver a really good physical performance, but you could see that he was struggling at times physically to adapt to the pace because he really had minimal training. But he was playing on heart and spirit and determination.
"But the week he's had this week will serve him really well. He's such an important player for us on so many levels that, of course, we're keen to get him on the pitch as quickly as possible, but I've just got to make sure it's not to his detriment.
"It's been great to have him back around the group, though. He's such a positive person that he can only help and inspire the players around him."
Newcastle United are not the same without Bruno Guimaraes
Up until their late 2-1 win over Manchester United last month, Newcastle had failed to win a Premier League match in which Guimaraes had missed since joining the club in January 2022.
Howe’s side are simply not the same without their captain - and a recent answer by Newcastle’s boss tells you why. Eight defeats in 11 games without him is no coincidence.
“Yeah, [we’ve missed Bruno] in a whole host of ways,” Howe said last week. “I think his personality, for one. You miss his smile. He's a really positive guy. He's got a great aura around him, but he's a winner. And from my side, you can't have enough winners in your changing room.
“You can't have enough people who want to win every little thing that they engage in, and he's certainly got that boundless enthusiasm that we've missed.
“We've missed his quality on the pitch. We've missed his desire to get on the ball in every moment. I'd say that's always Bruno's biggest strength. If you watch him and focus on him in the game, he'll chase the ball. He'll want the ball. He'll demand the ball off his teammates. And he's creative. Whether he's lower, whether he's higher, he's always looking for that creative intent.
“And that's why I said we've missed, I think, the attacking intent of the team. And he, in part, is a big producer of that for us. So to get him back fit and available at his best will be a massive thing for us.”
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