Newcastle United predicted XI v Luton Town: Howe hopes for £108m boost

It's hard to put into words just how many contrasting emotions Newcastle United have experienced over the last ten days.

After their heartbreaking exit from the Champions League, Eddie Howe's men returned to winning ways on Saturday as young star Lewis Miley became the Magpies youngest ever Premier League goalscorer in the 3-0 win against Fulham.

There was another blow on Tuesday night when Kieran Trippier's late error allowed Chelsea to take their Carabao Cup tie to penalties before the England man was one of two United players to miss from the spot in a shoot-out defeat.

Who knows what mood the Newcastle squad will be in when they travel to Luton Town on Saturday afternoon as a hectic festive period gets underway. Eddie Howe will face several big calls on he continues to contend with a lengthy list of absentees that seemed to have some new additions following the agonising loss at Stamford Bridge.

Newcastle United Team News

Howe will hope for a triple boost ahead of the game against the Hatters as he awaits news on injuries suffered by Anthony Gordon and Emil Krafth during the Chelsea defeat and Alexander Isak closes on a return to fitness after missing the last two games.

Gordon has been nursing a minor hamstring injury in recent times and whilst he has been fit to start games, he may be due a rest at some point in the near future.

Young midfielder Elliot Anderson is also believed to be close to return as he enters the final period of his recovery from a stress fracture in his back. However, that is as good as it gets for Howe as he continues to compete without a whole host of key players.

Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock are not expected to return to contention until the end of January and Nick Pope and Matt Targett will miss the majority of the remainder of the season as they recover from surgery on shoulder and thigh injuries respectively. Sandro Tonali also remains on the sidelines and will not return this campaign as he continues to serve a lengthy ban for breeching gambling regulations in Italy.

Fabian Schar and Joelinton both hobbled out of last weekend's win against Fulham and underwent scans on Monday. There is yet to be any confirmation over the severity of their injuries and their possible return date is unknown. The same can be said of Spanish full-back Javier Manquillo, who has been limited to just two unused substitute appearances in matchday squads so far this season as he contends with a groin injury.

Howe always faces a major call over whether to retain faith with key defender Kieran Trippier after his error in the Carabao Cup exit at Chelsea. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid defender has made three high-profile errors in recent weeks and has fallen short of the exceptionally high standards he has set since he secured a move to St James Park just over two years ago.

Speaking of Trippier in the aftermath of the game, Howe said: "He has taken the group to a different level. After giving so much it's our turn to support him. He's been a transformative signing for us and has glued the dressing room together. He's been the heartbeat of our performances."

Newcastle United predicted XI

Dubravka, Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Livramento, Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff, Almiron, Gordon, Wilson