The viral outbreak is the latest hurdle in what is becoming a genuine selection crisis for Eddie Howe. Newcastle are already navigating a treacherous period without several core senior stars, including club captain Bruno Guimaraes. The lack of leadership and physical presence in the team's midfield has been evident in recent weeks, contributing to a poor run of form that has seen the club drop to 13th in the Premier League table.
Beyond the sickness concerns, the Magpies are definitely without Lewis Miley, Emile Krafth, and Fabian Schar. There had been hope that Tino Livramento might make a timely return to bolster the defense, but the full-back remains highly doubtful for the midweek fixture. Howe indicated that while the defender’s rehabilitation is progressing well, the quick turnaround from Saturday's fixture makes a competitive return on Wednesday unlikely.
"Jacob [Ramsey] was in yesterday, trained fine, so a quick recovery from him," said Howe. "There’s obviously something, an illness, potentially there in the squad, because Nick Woltemade‘s gone down ill and we haven’t seen him for a couple of days. Let’s see, we’ll give him every chance."