Joelinton out, Gordon & Botman among doubts: Newcastle team news ahead of huge Man City match

Newcastle United face a tough test of their top four credentials when they travel to the Etihad to take on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday afternoon – but also an opportunity, given the recent struggles of Pep Guardiola’s side.

That means that Eddie Howe will be desperate to have as many first-team players available for what could be a crucial game in terms of determining which teams qualify for the Champions League, but Newcastle have several key players battling for fitness, including winger Anthony Gordon and centre-half Sven Botman.

We’ve collected all of the latest team news and injury updates following Howe’s pre-match press conference, including the latest on Gordon, Botman and several other players who are either out or doubts for Saturday’s game – and if you’re here looking for information ahead of the Fantasy Premier League deadline, you can also check out our resident expert’s latest hints and tips column by clicking here.

Gordon ‘should be fine’ to partner ‘sensational’ Isak

The best news from Howe’s press conference is that Gordon, who had up a thigh problem which kept him out of the controversial FA Cup fourth round win over Birmingham City, “should be fine” to face City after responding well to treatment.

That’s particularly important given that Harvey Barnes remains out due to a hamstring injury – the former Leicester City winger is expected to return to action in around two weeks. Newcastle should otherwise have a clean bill of health across the front three with Callum Wilson available.

Howe also dropped some hints about his likely game plan by suggesting that Newcastle would attempt to get star striker Alexander Isak – who Howe described as having been “sensational” for the club – “in the game as much as we can” while aiming to provide Isak with “the foundation for him to perform to his best levels”.

That will likely mean support from Gordon and Jacob Murphy once more, with no other senior wingers available between Barnes’ injury and the January sale of Miguel Almirón.

Botman and Burn among defensive doubts

There’s good and bad news for Dutch defender Botman – a scan on his latest injury revealed that was not “any long-term issue”, but Howe did suggest that the Manchester City match would still come too soon for the centre-back, who has missed the last two league games.

Experienced defender Dan Burn is also not certain to play this weekend thanks to a groin issue – again, Howe told the media that the damage was limited and that the former Brighton man had “improved a lot very quickly” but he stopped short of saying that he would be ready to play at the Etihad, saying only that Burn was “close”.

Elsewhere, Howe will be forced to make do without key midfielder Joelinton, who will return from a knee injury in mid-March, and Jamaal Lascelles, who is a long-term absentee thanks to a serious ACL injury. The most optimistic assessments of Lascelles’ condition suggest that he too could be ready for some minutes in mid-March.

Elsewhere, there are no new injury concerns for Howe ahead of a game which could have a significant bearing on the club’s chances of returning to Europe’s top table next season.