Newcastle receive triple fitness boost ahead of Manchester City showdown | OneFootball

Eddie Howe and Newcastle United have received a significant fitness boost ahead of the showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Premier League champions will be desperate to find them confidence in their performances once again this weekend as they welcome Newcastle United just days after another throw-away defeat.

Having led Real Madrid 2-1 heading into the final stages of a mammoth first-leg last-16 play-off clash in the UEFA Champions League, goals from Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham flipped the tie on its heading meaning City travel to Madrid next week trailing 3-2.

And the match that provides Manchester City with an opportunity to come back from disappointment is no easy task, as the Premier League’s fifth and sixth-placed teams go head-to-head at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

While Manchester City battle injury and fitness concerns of their own, the Magpies have also had some headaches to contend with in the run-up to the fixture, at a time when the club are also gearing up for a Carabao Cup final clash against Liverpool.

According to the initial information of MailSport’s Craig Hope, Newcastle United trio Anthony Gordon, Dan Burn and Sven Botman are all not facing lengthy spells on the sidelines after recent injury concerns.

It is explained that Gordon’s thigh problem has since cleared and the England international should be fine to face Manchester City this weekend, while scans on both defensive stars are said to be ‘positive’.

While that will no doubt come as a huge boost to Newcastle with a Carabao Cup final looming, the report states their inclusion for the meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side this weekend remains in doubt and they will be subject to a late decision on their availability.

Manager Eddie Howe then made the initial reports official during his pre-match press conference on Friday morning as he said of Anthony Gordon, “He should be fine, he’s trained this week.

“No problems. It was a thigh problem but he responded well to treatment over the weekend and has trained well.”

Howe continued, “And good news on (Sven Botman’s) scan that he had after the injury, we don’t think there’s any long-term issues there. We think he’ll miss this weekend but hopefully he won’t be far away from the following games.”

Continuing on to the subject of Dan Burn, Howe said, “The initial look wasn’t good, but the scan was good. He’s improved a lot very quickly this week so he’ll be very close this weekend.”

As for Manchester City, they are not expected to have Manuel Akanji available for their next three games in particular, which come against Newcastle, before an away trip to Real Madrid, and against Liverpool at home next weekend.

Jack Grealish is also subject to further assessment while Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain the longer-term absentees, with the latter now recovering from a minor ankle setback sustained in training earlier this month.