Newcastle United Face Injury Concerns Ahead of Tottenham Trip
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has revealed his side will conduct late fitness assessments on two key players before their Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night. The Magpies travel to London hoping to bounce back from a disappointing home defeat to Brentford, but face potential selection headaches with injuries threatening to disrupt their plans.
Double Injury Blow for Magpies
Howe confirmed that both Lewis Miley and Anthony Gordon require medical evaluation ahead of the crucial encounter. Miley, who has been working his way back from injury, suffered what the manager described as "a nasty bang to his leg" that has developed into a persistent dead leg issue.
"Miley, I need to see today – we'll get another update on his progress," Howe explained in his pre-match briefing. "He got a nasty bang to his leg so it's like a sort of dead leg that's dragged on a little bit longer than we thought, so we'll see how he is."
Meanwhile, winger Anthony Gordon, who missed the Brentford defeat, will also undergo assessment. "Gordon, we'll make a check on today and see how he's progressing," Howe added. "Hopefully a big improvement in him."
The news comes as a further blow with midfielder Joelinton already ruled out of the Tottenham fixture, leaving Newcastle potentially depleted for what promises to be a challenging away match.
Desperate Times for Both Sides
This midweek fixture pits two clubs experiencing difficult domestic campaigns against each other. Newcastle currently sit 12th in the Premier League table, their hopes of European qualification looking increasingly uncertain as the season progresses.
Tottenham arrive at the match equally desperate for points following their own weekend disappointment – a defeat to Manchester United that saw captain Cristian Romero sent off in the first half. The Argentine defender will now miss the Newcastle clash through suspension, offering some potential relief to the visiting Magpies.
Howe acknowledged the challenging period his team is enduring, stating: "I think (it is) any time when you're not getting the results that you want. I don't think performances have been particularly bad – statistically we're still pretty strong in every game, but the results certainly haven't matched that."
Manager Calls for Unity and Resilience
The Newcastle boss emphasised the importance of collective strength during this testing phase of the season. "It's been a difficult run of games, it will continue to be a difficult run of games for us, but that's where we all need to show our strength of character, resolve, resilience and our feeling of how important this is to us," he said.
Howe particularly praised the continued support from Newcastle fans, despite recent disappointments. "The supporters, even on Saturday, again were incredible for us. That's never taken for granted, that's never, from our side, expected. We have to earn it," he reflected.
"We have to continue to have the respect of our supporters, and the only way we can do that is with our intention in the next game, with how we attack the next game, with everything we give off with our body language – the supporters will feed off it, and we need to make sure it's a positive response."
With both teams languishing below expectations and desperate for three points, Tuesday's encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium promises to be a tense affair. Newcastle's final preparations will now hinge on those crucial fitness tests for Miley and Gordon as Howe looks to field his strongest possible side against a Tottenham team missing their suspended captain.
