The latest injury news ahead of Sunday's Tyne Wear derby between Newcastle United and Sunderland.
The Italy international has become a key figure in the Magpies side since joining in a reported £55m move from AC Milan during the summer of 2023 and produced an eye-catching display as Howe’s side battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash with La Liga giants Barcelona last week. However, Tonali picked up what appeared to be groin and hip injury during the second leg of the tie as the Magpies suffered a 7-2 defeat at the Camp Nou and that has placed his involvement in Sunday’s derby at risk.
The midfielder underwent a scan on the injury after returning to the North East and Howe has revealed the injury is ‘not as bad as first feared’ - but stopped short of confirming whether Tonali was available for the game. Howe did confirm midfield duo Lewis Miley and Bruno Guimaraes and defender Fabian Schar will remain on the sidelines and will not be available until after the international break.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Howe said: "We will wait and see (on Tonali). It is maybe not as bad as first feared as he was coming off the pitch. We will see how he is today and then make a decision closer to the game. (Miley) will be after the internationals, hopefully after the break. Fingers crossed it will be the same with Bruno and also for Fab (Schär)."
Experience
Nick Woltemade headed past his own goalkeeper against Sunderland.placeholder image
Nick Woltemade headed past his own goalkeeper against Sunderland. | Getty Images
Sunderland will travel to Tyneside looking to complete a league double over Newcastle after an own goal from Magpies club record signing Nick Woltemade proved to be the difference between the two sides at the Stadium of Light in December. That win proved to be another landmark moment in the Black Cats’ impressive return to the Premier League - and Howe has stressed the need for his own players to ‘use that experience’ of defeat on Wearside in their bid to avenge the loss.
He said: "Sunderland have had a good season. The jump from Championship to the Premier League is big. We know how tough the game was against them earlier in the season. We need to use that experience of the first game, the emotions we felt afterwards. We are focused on delivering a really good performance.
"We need to perform. The positives of this game for us can be huge, for the fans, for the city. We need to make sure our preparation for this game is as good as we can be to make sure we help the players. The focus for us is to try and win the game. For us, we have to try and recover physically and mentally. The players will be ready for this game. We have eight massive games to go."
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