Anthony Gordon and Dan Burn are set to be available for Newcastle United’s trip to Manchester City, but Sven Botman remains a major doubt.
Gordon missed the 3-2 FA Cup fourth-round victory at Birmingham City last weekend, while Burn was forced off with a groin problem at St Andrew’s, but both have made positive progress this week.
Botman, however, is likely to miss the visit to the Etihad with a knee problem, though Eddie Howe is relieved that the Dutchman has avoided a serious injury.
“He should be fine, he’s trained this week,” Howe said of Gordon. “No problems. It was a thigh problem but he responded well to treatment over the weekend and has trained well.
“And good news on (Botman’s) scan that he had after the injury, we don’t think there’s any long-term issues there. We think he’ll miss this weekend but hopefully he won’t be far away from the following games.”
As for Burn, despite appearing in significant discomfort at St Andrew’s, which led to fears he could face a spell on the sidelines, the centre-back is likely to be fit for Manchester City.
“The initial look wasn’t good, but the scan was good,” Howe added. “He’s improved a lot very quickly this week so he’ll be very close this weekend.”
Burn picked up an injury against Birmingham (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Joelinton, meanwhile, is in line to return before the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley on March 16, having suffered a knee problem against Fulham earlier this month.
“No, we hope by that time he will be back fit and available,“ Howe said, when asked if Joelinton was a doubt for the showpiece. “He’s making good progress. He’s very positive and very driven to shave time off the estimated target he’s been given, which is a great thing, but we also have to control that and make sure he’s in a good place.”
Harvey Barnes has not played since the 3-1 FA Cup third-round victory over Bromley on January 12 but the winger is close to returning, even if he is unlikely to feature in Manchester.
“Not far away. He’s done really well,” Howe said of Barnes. “He’s an important player for us and he’s close to being in contention.”
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Fifth-placed Manchester City are only above Newcastle on goals scored, while Howe’s side face third-placed Nottingham Forest and Premier League leaders Liverpool in the following two top-flight matches.
With the Carabao Cup final also to come next month, Howe accepts this is the defining period of Newcastle’s season, both when it comes to their search for silverware and their bid to earn Champions League qualification.
“It’s going to be a great few weeks for us in terms of evaluating our strengths and see how competitive we are in the league,“ Howe said. ”This will be at a pivotal stage of the season, a really defining few weeks for us.
“We have the cup final on the horizon beyond these games, but this is a defining period in the Premier League for us.”
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(Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
