Eddie Howe will be boosted by the return of Joelinton for the first time in the Premier League this month as Newcastle United face Manchester City.
Since losing 3-2 to Brentford in the Premier League at St James’ Park, The Magpies have won three away wins on the bounce against Tottenham Hotspur in the league, Aston Villa in the FA Cup and Qarabag in the Champions League.
Saturday will see Eddie Howe’s side face Man City for the fourth time already this season. Despite winning the reverse fixture in the Premier League 2-1 at St James’ Park back in November, Newcastle were beaten in both legs in the Carabao Cup semi-final against City.
They have also never won at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League.
Despite several injury concerns heading into the game, Newcastle will be boosted by the return of Joelinton after his cameo in Qarabag. The Brazilian hasn’t featured in the Premier League since the 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa almost four weeks ago.
He suffered a groin injury in that game but has since received treatment and recovered. Joelinton was part of the travelling squad in the Champions League to Azerbaijan earlier this week and he came off the bench for the final 13 minutes of the 6-1 win against Qarabag in Baku.
Now he’ll be pushing to get back in the starting line-up but faces stiff competition due to the recent form of Jacob Ramsey and Joe Willock in his absence.
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Eddie Howe on Joelinton return
“He's back in the squad which is a great boost for us,” Howe said about Joelinton. “He's such an important player and a big presence in our squad. A real leader. He trained well and felt really good, so delighted with his return.”
But the 29-year-old could have to wait before returning to the side despite a lack of options in midfield in the absence of Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Miley.
Saturday’s match will be Newcastle’s 43rd of the season so far, the most of any Premier League side.
“The games are fine, it's the injuries that have stretched us and that will always be the case,” Howe told The Gazette. “I think if you feel you've got a strong enough squad and a strong enough team wherever you play, we've really enjoyed the games.
“I think it's when you feel that you're going into dangerous territory in terms of your overall strength and then that impacts you for future games, that's when it's dangerous for us.
“We've just about stayed the right line of it, but we're still very delicately poised in terms of injuries. We've got a few at the moment, desperate to get players back that can help us.
“It's great to have Joelinton back with us, he makes a massive difference, as do all the other guys that are around.”
NUFC’s midfield alternatives
On Ramsey stepping up in Joelinton’s absence, Howe added: “He's been really important. Not just Jacob, but Joe Willock as well.
“I've seen him return to his best form in my opinion, so two huge players for us. And, of course, with Bruno's absence as well, it's really important that we have our midfield contributing. They've got different strengths, all of them, but they all bring something really strong to the team.”
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