EDDIE HOWE FACES SETBACK — STAR PLAYER MISSING BRENTFORD TIE
Anthony Gordon is out for Newcastle vs Brentford with a hip injury. Jacob Murphy replaces him as Harvey Barnes shifts to the left flank. Eddie Howe makes one change from the midweek win.
BRUNO GUIMARAES ONE YELLOW CARD AWAY FROM SUSPENSION FOR NEWCASTLE FESTIVE AWAY GAMES
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is one booking away from missing crucial holiday fixtures against Burnley today.
Newcastle United is set to play Manchester United and Burnley away during the holidays.
Their captain, Bruno Guimaraes, needs to be careful in the next two games to avoid a ban.
The Magpies have two away Premier League matches coming up: first, they're at Manchester United on Boxing Day, then at Burnley on December 30.
If Eddie Howe’s team wants to move up in the standings, their away record needs work. Right now, they're in 12th place, five points from the top five. Their only away win was at Everton last month.
Last time, United threw away a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 with Chelsea at St. James’ Park. Before that, they lost 1-0 to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Bruno Guimaraes is in danger of a Premier League ban.
Guimaraes got a yellow card in the Sunderland game, so he's close to a one-game suspension.
He already has four yellow cards this season. The Premier League rules say that if a player gets five yellow cards in their team's first 19 matches, they get a one-match ban.
Guimaraes got through the Chelsea game without another card and needs to do the same against Man United and Burnley to avoid missing a game.
If he gets a yellow card at Old Trafford, he'll miss the Burnley game. If he gets booked at Turf Moor, he'll miss the Crystal Palace game on January 4.
After that, the limit goes up to 10 yellow cards in 32 matches, which means a two-match ban.
Manchester United will be without their own Bruno against Newcastle United.
Newcastle will have Bruno Guimaraes for Boxing Day, but Man United won't have Bruno Fernandes. He hurt his hamstring in their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim said after the game, "I think it's soft tissue," the United boss told Sky Sports. So, it's going to take some time. We'll see.
It's really weird. We're having so many problems this year, especially now, but we have to deal with them.
"I don't know; I think he's going to miss a few games, but I'm not sure," the head coach said. I don't want to get into it too much, but he's usually always fit and recovers fast.
JUST IN: NEWCASTLE BOXING DAY SQUAD NEWS—NICK WOLTEMADE AND TONALI SET TO FACE MAN UTD
One week after a derby own-goal, £69m Nick Woltemade scores twice against Chelsea! Is the record signing back?
Newcastle totally crushed Chelsea for about 45 minutes, which had to be the Christmas gift Eddie Howe wanted most.
Three of his main guys—Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Nick Woltemade—suddenly looked like they had their mojo back after seeming tired when the team was struggling.
Things were getting worrying, but these three showed some real hunger.
Now, the question is, are they really back? Or will they just relax after that win, thinking they've done enough to make up for that embarrassing loss in the derby?
We'll see soon enough, as Newcastle wraps up a crazy 2025 with trips to Manchester United and Burnley. We'll be watching closely.
People were asking questions, like why did we even sign Woltemade? Yeah, he's a nice, eager young guy with lots going for him—great feet, a smart football mind, a good attitude, and he's tall.
But everyone agrees he's not super fast, doesn't have the strength to hold off defenders, and doesn't always push into the opponent's territory. Those are pretty important things for a striker.
Two of our legends, Alan Shearer and SuperMac, have pointed out these weaknesses. Some even wondered if he'd be better in another position.
So, a lot of people were surprised to see him tearing it up against Chelsea, just a week after that awful own goal against Sunderland.
This blond kid was always running into the box and really trying to press the Chelsea defense. And he got two goals after not scoring for a while.
Did Howe work his magic again, like he did with Joelinton, turning him from a bad striker into a great midfielder? Or like he did with Gordon, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, and Alexander Isak?
Or maybe Yoane Wissa scoring against Fulham made him realize that even though he's working hard, it's better than sitting on the bench all the time.
Either way, it doesn't matter. Howe or Wissa, a fairy godmother, or just luck—all the Newcastle fans who were singing his name just want Nick to keep playing well. And Wissa, get inspired too, and maybe we can save this wild season.
Eddie promised Woltemade, after spending a record £69m on him, that he'd build the team around him. That seemed like a bad idea, but maybe there's some hope now.
The fans really like Big Nick, and I get it. He's the kind of player you want to see succeed, and he's giving it his all.
But what about Gordon and Tonali? Gordon's been inconsistent, and Tonali's form had dropped off a cliff. Form is temporary, but class is permanent—so what was wrong? It was confusing, but he seems to be back. Anthony needs to play like that more often, though.
I know one good game isn't proof that things have changed. We need to see it against Manchester United on Boxing Day and then against Burnley to really put 2025 behind us.
Like the whole team, these star players are still trying to prove themselves. It's not easy to win back the fans after letting them down. If they can stay unbeaten in the next couple of away games, things might be different.
If we're wondering if Howe can turn Woltemade into a natural striker, can he please do the same with Anthony Elanga? He's been awful. He's fast but out of control. He doesn't produce anything, so he's lost all his confidence.
It's surprising that Elanga and Jacob Ramsey, who came from other Premier League clubs, have had a harder time fitting in than Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, who came from other countries.