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NEWCASTLE VS CHELSEA: EDDIE HOWE FACING DEFENSIVE CRISIS WITH EIGHT KEY STARS SIDELINED

Eddie Howe faces a defensive nightmare against Chelsea with Dan Burn and Tino Livramento out, while Lewis Hall nears a return.

Newcastle vs Chelsea: Eddie Howe Facing Defensive Crisis with Eight Key Stars Sidelined
Newcastle Down to Bare Bones as Dan Burn Joins Injury List

Newcastle United goes head-to-head with Chelsea this Saturday at St. James' Park (kick-off at 12:30 pm), so here's the injury rundown on players like Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, and Kieran Trippier.

After that 1-0 loss to Sunderland in the last league game, the Magpies want to get back on track and get closer to those European spots.

Chelsea’s sitting in fourth right now, six points ahead of Eddie Howe’s crew. In the past two seasons, the Blues ended up three points above Newcastle on the table.

Newcastle has won its last four home games against Chelsea, including that 2-0 victory back in May that helped them snag a spot in the Champions League.

But Newcastle’s got a smaller squad than usual for Saturday’s match, especially on defence. Fabian Schar and Malick Thiaw are the only senior defenders who are totally fit. Howe might not even have any experienced full-backs to pick from for the game.

Here’s the current injury situation for Newcastle United, along with when the players are expected to be back:

Joelinton - groin

Joelinton hasn’t played since that groin injury against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. He’s been available on the bench for the last couple of games and will probably be there again against Chelsea on Saturday.

Lewis Hall - hamstring

Lewis Hall didn’t play in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Fulham because of a hamstring issue. It’s not thought to be too bad, but because Hall had some injury problems in 2025, the club is being extra careful with him.

He might be ready to play on Saturday.

Expected return: 20/12 - Chelsea (H)

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Nick Pope - groin

Pope hasn’t played in any of Newcastle’s last six games, but he’s been training this week, leading up to the Chelsea match and might be back in the squad.

Expected return: 20/12 - Chelsea (H)

Kieran Trippier - hamstring

Trippier being out has been tough for the Magpies, meaning Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall have had to play more than they should. Hopefully, Trippier will be back around the start of the new year.

Expected return: 04/01 - Crystal Palace (H)

William Osula - ankle

Osula’s been out with an ankle injury, and the club even got a specialist to take a look. He hasn’t played since that loss to West Ham in early November, and there’s no word on when he’ll be back.

Expected return: 13/01 - Manchester City (H)

Sven Botman - back

Botman saw a specialist for a back injury and got an injection for it, but the club hasn’t said when he’ll be back.

Expected return: TBC (early 2026)

Emil Krafth - knee

Krafth hasn’t played for Newcastle United since those 45 minutes against West Ham early last month. It’s a setback since a defensive injury issue is starting to get worse. Howe said earlier this week that Krafth will be out until early 2026.

Expected return: 04/01 - Crystal Palace (H)

Dan Burn - ribs

Burn hurt his ribs during Sunday’s defeat to Sunderland and had to go to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing after that hit with Nordi Mukiele. Howe said on Tuesday that Burn will be out for four to six weeks.

Expected return: 18/01 - Wolves (A)

EDDIE HOWE SHUTS DOWN SANDRO TONALI ARSENAL LINKS AS NEWCASTLE STAY FIRM

Eddie Howe speaks out on Sandro Tonali's future at Newcastle United following intense transfer links with Arsenal this window.

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Sandro Tonali is "very happy" at Newcastle

Sandro Tonali looks happy at Newcastle, no matter what the transfer deadline rumours tried to stir up. For a little while, talk of him heading to Arsenal got loud enough that Eddie Howe felt the need to step in and set things straight. Newcastle’s manager didn’t dance around it—Tonali’s settled, involved, and locked in. Sure, coaches can’t always kill off all the outside noise, but Howe wanted everyone to know where things stood.

After those stories started swirling, Howe went straight to Tonali for a chat. He gets how fast these things can spiral. Newcastle fans have seen enough drawn-out sagas to know what uncertainty feels like, and nobody wants to go through that again.

Someone asked Howe if he thought there was more behind the rumours. He shrugged it off: “I don’t think so. That would surprise me. But there’s always stuff happening I don’t know about. As far as I see it, we’ve got a top player and a great person on our hands.”

Tonali means more to Newcastle than just his price tag or contract. They brought him in for £55 million, and he’s signed on until 2029, with an extra year option. He’s a key part of their plans, both on the pitch and on the books. Naturally, that kind of player gets attention—especially since Europe isn’t exactly overflowing with elite midfielders.

But Howe really wanted to highlight the human side of it all. “Sandro’s very happy here. He gets on well with everyone, and you can see he’s in a good place. I honestly don’t see a problem. Of course, I can’t control everything. If I knew where all these rumours came from, I’d be smarter. But Sandro’s totally fine. We talked yesterday. He’s focused on what we’re doing right now.”

He wasn’t done: “There’s no issue with Sandro. He’s happy and committed. But let’s be real—our best players are always going to turn heads elsewhere. That’s just football.”

As for the transfer window, Premier League spending rules kept Newcastle’s hands tied. Howe didn’t sugarcoat it: “Financially it wasn’t possible. We’re under restrictions and had hardly any money to use this window, so we’ll wait for the summer when the market opens up and maybe we’ll get better value.”

He admitted the squad’s still a bit lopsided, especially at the back, but he’s convinced that a healthy squad changes things.

For now, Newcastle’s just focused on the essentials. Keeping Tonali happy and at the heart of things matters way more than the latest gossip. His happiness is reassuring for the moment, but as Howe pointed out, nobody really gets to control everything in football these days.

EDDIE HOWE CONFIRMS BRUNO GUIMARAES AND LEWIS MILEY OUT VS CITY

Newcastle face a midfield crisis as Bruno and Miley are ruled out of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City. Get updates.

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Newcastle United is missing six key players for the Carabao Cup clash

Eddie Howe has given the latest on Lewis Miley, Bruno Guimaraes, and Sven Botman as Newcastle United get ready for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City.

It’s another tough night ahead for Newcastle. They’re already two goals down after losing the first leg at St James’ Park, and now they’re missing even more key players. That third Carabao Cup final in four seasons is starting to look like a big ask.

Honestly, the stats aren’t great. Newcastle haven’t scored—let alone won—at Man City since Howe took charge. Their only win at the Etihad came way back in 2014, when Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko got the goals in a 2-0 victory. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Injuries keep piling up. Tino Livramento, Joelinton, Fabian Schar, and Emil Krafth are all out. Bruno Guimaraes sat out the 4-1 loss at Liverpool with an ankle problem, and both Lewis Miley and Sven Botman stayed on the bench as unused subs.

After that Liverpool game, Howe explained the situation. “Sven had a tight thigh, and the advice was not to use him. That’s why he and Lewy were on the bench—we wanted to give them every chance to be fit. Sometimes, you hope something changes in the warm-up, but with such a quick turnaround, you just don’t have time to get all the info you need,” he said.

“With Lewy, he just couldn’t bend his knee enough to be fit.”

Asked about the chances of players returning against Manchester City, Howe said, “Probably our best bets are Sven and Lewy since they were on the bench at Liverpool. For Bruno, I’m not sure—there’s a chance, but the others are definitely out.”

But just before the City game, Howe gave another update. Turns out, both Bruno and Miley are out for this one. “Yeah, Bruno’s doing well, but I don’t think he’ll make this game—maybe the weekend. Sven Botman is okay, but I’m not sure about Lewy either.”

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