With just two left games of the 2024/25 season, Newcastle’s Champions League fate is firmly in our hands.
Beat Arsenal or Everton over the next 10 days and we’ll make sure of a top-five finish, with our 2-0 victory over Chelsea last weekend sending us up to third and in a strong position ahead of this weekend’s trip to the Emirates.
However, no sooner has he come back from injury, it looks like one of our key players may be facing another spell on the sidelines.
Sven Botman was taken off by Eddie Howe before the hour mark in last Sunday’s win over Chelsea in what seemed like a precautionary move at the time.
However, after the boss said he felt some discomfort and had ice on his knee during the half-time break, it looks like Botman’s latest issue will keep him out of our final two games.
In a worrying Thursday-morning update from The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, he reveals that there are real concerns at Newcastle that his season is over, with a scan set to determine the extent of his injury after the Dutchman has sat out of training all week.
Writing on X, Edwards said: ‘Huge concerns at Newcastle that Sven Botman is going to miss the rest of the season with another injury. He’s not been able to train this week and is due to have a scan to determine extent of the problem. Worrying times for#NUFCwith two huge games remaining.’
When fit, Botman has the potential to be one of the top Premier League centre-backs, possessing a giant frame, brilliant reading of the game, decent pace for his stature and composure on the ball.
However, this knee issue is now his third in under 18 months, following one surgery on an ACL and another operation on his knee earlier this year.
Last Sunday was just his fourth start of the season, so it feels absolutely vital that the former Lille star has a full pre-season and injury-free 2025/26 to build back confidence in his body; particularly his knees.
Fingers crossed it’s nothing serious and that Dan Burn and Fabian Schar can get the job done over the next two weekends.