Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali
(Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images
Newcastle United’s injury worries continue to mount ahead of their Carabao Cup final clash with Liverpool at Wembley this weekend, despite securing a vital 1-0 victory against West Ham United on Monday night.
The Magpies will travel to London with several key players either sidelined or carrying fitness concerns,
Newcastle reignited their Champions League qualification hopes with a hard-fought 1-0 win at the London Stadium, courtesy of Bruno Guimaraes’ 63rd-minute strike.
The Brazilian midfielder converted Harvey Barnes’ cross to secure three crucial points that lifted the Magpies to sixth place in the Premier League.
They are now level on points with fifth-placed Manchester City and just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification
Sandro Tonali gave Newcastle fans a fright during Monday’s match when he went down requiring treatment, though the Italian midfielder ultimately completed the full 90 minutes.
This comes after Tonali had previously missed training sessions in February due to a hamstring problem, which had made manager Eddie Howe “reluctant” to use him during their 4-3 victory over Nottingham Forest.
However, manager Eddie Howe allayed any fears in his post-match press conference, asserting that his squad status is unchanged after the result against the Hammers:
“We’re hopeful that we have a clean bill of health. I don’t think you ever know until the next day or two, but at the moment, I think we look OK,” he said to Chronicle Live.
Star striker Alexander Isak was substituted late in the game against West Ham, marking the second consecutive match where the Swedish forward has been withdrawn in the closing stages.
Isak’s fitness has been carefully managed by Newcastle in recent weeks. The 25-year-old missed the Premier League defeat to Liverpool in late February with what Howe described as “a slight groin problem”.
With 22 goals in all competitions this season, Isak’s availability will be crucial to Newcastle’s chances at Wembley, though it appears he may not yet be at 100% fitness.
Left-back Lewis Hall, who has been one of Newcastle’s standout performers this season, has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after sustaining a bone injury in his foot that requires surgery.
Center-back Sven Botman is another definite absentee after undergoing a minor operation on his knee.
The Magpies will also be without Anthony Gordon who is suspended for the final after receiving a red card during their FA Cup exit against Brighton.
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