Newcastle predicted line-up vs. Bournemouth: Eddie Howe makes big calls as £120m attacking trio start

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
The latest Newcastle team news and predicted XI ahead of their Premier League game against Bournemouth.

Newcastle United will be aiming to notch up ten wins on the bounce this Saturday when they welcome Bournemouth to St. James’ Park in the Premier League’s lunchtime kick-off – but Eddie Howe faces injury fears over at least five first-team players.

Nick Pope and Fabian Schär are among the players who missed out on the 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek but who could be available soon, and we’ve got all of the latest updates on their fitness along with the rest of the team news and the latest predicted line-up below.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If you’re here looking for some ideas for your Fantasy Premier League team, don’t forget to catch up with our resident expert’s latest hints and tips column by clicking here – among other things, he discusses whether Alexander Isak should be your captain this week once more.

Goalkeeper & Defence

First-choice goalkeeper Pope has missed the last six league matches with a knee injury, but he is back in light training. Howe’s last update on the former Burnley stopper’s condition suggested that he would return to full team training soon after taking part in one-on-one sessions with the coaching session last week. Howe said that Pope needed “a bit longer until he’s strong enough to play”, however, and Martin Dúbravka – who is expected to depart the club this month – is likely to deputise once more against Bournemouth.

Schär, meanwhile, missed out on the win over Wolves thanks to an unspecified illness, which Howe said was not believed to be serious. There have been no further updates on the experienced Austrian centre-half, who has also missed recent matches through suspension, and it is unclear whether he will be ready to play this weekend.

The only other defender expected to miss out is Jamaal Lascelles, who has yet to return to training following a serious knee injury. His rehabilitation continues and it is hoped that he will be back in action in February.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Midfield

The Magpies have a clean bill of health in the centre of the park, and Howe should be able to name a full-strength midfield with Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton expected to start. Tonali is currently on four yellow cards for the campaign but will not face a ban if he picks up another booking this weekend – after 19 games, the number of yellow cards collected to earn a one-game suspension resets.

Forwards

Newcastle now have two long-term absentees across the front three with the news that Harvey Barnes will be out for “around a month” with a thigh injury. Howe has said that the club’s medical staff don’t believe the issue is serious, but he will be out until early-mid February nonetheless.

Callum Wilson, meanwhile, is also expected to be unavailable for the rest of January thanks to a hamstring problem, but Howe has told the media that he is “on the grass training” as of last week. High-flying Bournemouth have their own injury issues up front, with both first-choice striker Evanilson and back-up Enes Ünal absent.

Dúbravka; Hall, Burn, Botman, Livramento; Joelinton, Tonali, Guimarães; Gordon, Isak, Murphy.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice