All eyes will be on Alexander Isak this afternoon as Newcastle United face Everton at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United are just one win away from securing Champions League qualification, with victory over Everton this afternoon to secure them a top-five finish. The Toffees, meanwhile, have nothing but pride to play for at St James’ Park and will, whatever happens, finish 13th in the Premier League table.
Whilst Newcastle will head into today’s clash on the back of a defeat at the Emirates Stadium last weekend, they will be confident of sealing a crucial three points in front of their own fans. The fitness of Isak, though, will be a concern after he missed that game against the Gunners through injury.
With Joelinton, Lewis Hall and Matt Targett definitely sidelined plus major doubts over the fitness Kieran Trippier, Eddie Howe does have a number of selection headaches to deal with when he names his starting XI. David Moyes, meanwhile, will be keen for his side to spoil the party on Tyneside with those in his team potentially playing for their futures ahead of what could be a transformative summer window on Merseyside.
Everton injury news v Newcastle United
Orel Mangala - out
Mangala suffered an ACL injury in January and will not feature today. He will leave Everton to return to his parent club Lyon this summer.
Seamus Coleman - out
Coleman limped off early during Everton’s final appearance at Goodison Park on Sunday after suffering a thigh injury. Moyes confirmed on Friday that he will not feature at St James’ Park.
Jesper Lindstrom - out
Lindstrom had an operation on a hernia injury last month and has not been seen in action since.
James Tarkowski - out
A hamstring injury will keep Tarkowski sidelined this afternoon.
Jarrad Branthwaite - out
Branthwaite suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and has been ruled-out for four to five weeks.
Newcastle United injury news v Everton
Lewis Hall - out
Hall will not feature against Everton after suffering a foot injury that required surgery. His season is over.
Joelinton - out
A knee injury is expected to keep Joelinton out of action for the rest of the season. The Brazilian hasn’t featured in their last four outings and will be a huge miss for Howe and his team this afternoon.
Matt Targett - out
Targett has suffered a hamstring injury and is not likely to feature again this season. The former Aston Villa man has suffered greatly with injury problems this term.
Kieran Trippier - doubt
Trippier has missed Newcastle’s last two outings and he is very unlikely to feature against the Toffees, although Howe didn’t fully rule out the possibility of him returning to action.
Alexander Isak - doubt
A minor groin injury kept Isak out of Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal. There is hope that he will be fit enough to feature this weekend following news that he has been called-up to represent Sweden in the upcoming international break. Speaking about the striker, Howe said on Friday: “He's doing okay. He hasn't trained with us yet but he's made good progress through the week.
“The next couple of days will be crucial to his availability. There's a chance but it's difficult to give any more than that. Until he trains with us, we don't know how he'll respond and whether he'll be available for the game.”
Continue Reading