Newcastle United predicted starting XI v Luton Town
Newcastle United faces a challenging Premier League encounter against Luton Town this afternoon, with several key players nursing injuries (kick-off at 3 pm).
In the recent Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Chelsea, Emil Krafth and Anthony Gordon were subjected to contentious tackles by Mosies Caicedo and Levi Colwill, respectively. Krafth, dealing with a shin gash, had to be substituted at halftime, while Gordon was taken off early in the second half due to a rough challenge.
Addressing the injuries, Magpies head coach Eddie Howe commented on Friday, “We’re going to see how they are this morning. Anthony was sore; it was a horrible challenge on him. He’s sore, but we’ll see how he is today, hopefully, he’ll improve quickly. Emil had a really nasty cut on his shin which went quite deep. It required stitches, so he’s quite sore as well.”
Before their midweek penalty shootout defeat to Chelsea, Newcastle lost Fabian Schar (glute) and Joelinton (hamstring) during the first half of the previous Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Fulham. Both underwent scans on Monday, and while Howe stated their injuries aren’t severe, a decision on their participation against Luton is pending.
Howe mentioned, “The scans painted a similar picture, nothing too serious with either. Joe’s slightly more than Fabby but again, we’ll make a decision on both players leading up to this game.”
Alexander Isak, absent from the last two matches due to lingering effects of a recent groin issue, is deemed ’50/50′ for the Luton fixture. Howe explained, “He’s obviously missed the last two games, so he was feeling something in his groin. On the scan, there wasn’t necessarily an injury, just more tiredness around the muscle. That will be down to the medical team.”
As for the predicted lineup, Martin Dubravka is expected to guard the goal, filling in for the absent Nick Pope. Kieran Trippier, despite a challenging midweek performance, is anticipated to replace Emil Krafth at right-back. Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman are set to continue their central defensive partnership, with Botman impressing in his recent start against Chelsea.
