Eddie Howe drops early selection hint in press conference ahead of Newcastle United's clash with Barcelona
Newcastle United take on Barcelona at St James' Park tomorrow night in the Champions League Round of 16. Kick-off is at 8pm live on Amazon Prime Video.
After taking a battering on Saturday, Eddie Howe will have a lot of work to do to get his players in the right headspace for this one.
However, the Newcastle gaffer can be buoyed by the fact that Tino Livramento, Joelinton and Anthony Gordon are all back in full training after not being 100% to face Man City on Saturday.
All three played a part on Saturday, but the game was already well out of Newcastle's grasp by the time the trio were thrown on.
Eddie Howe hints at a place in the starting lineup for Tino Livramento tomorrow
That cameo on Saturday was Tino Livramento's first involvement since January, so it would be foolish to expect him to put in 90 minutes tomorrow, but Eddie Howe has hinted that the England right-back could be in the starting lineup.
"He probably hasn't done enough training for me to feel 100% confident he can be in the best physical moment to start, especially in such a big game, but he's in our squad. Anyone who is in that position is in contention to play so it's a balance with Tino at the moment.
"He's a massive player for us and it's great to have him back but I have to try and get the team selection right."
Having Tino Livramento back in the side is such a massive boost
Kieran Trippier has held down the fort admirably for a man picking up his state pension, and he'll no doubt be needed at some point tomorrow night, but having Tino Livramento on the pitch for the majority of the game gives us a better chance against a top side like Barcelona.
We have looked infinitely better as a team when Tino and Lewis Hall have been on the pitch together. It's just a shame that it hasn't happened anywhere near enough times.
It would be a bit daft to pin all of our hopes on Tino tomorrow, given he's just fresh back from injury, but the boost his availability gives us can't be underestimated either.
