Eddie Howe has minor concerns over two Newcastle United stars going into game against Arsenal

Eddie Howe is preparing his squad for their third game in six days as Arsenal head to St James' Park for a Premier League clash against Newcastle United in the 12:30pm kick-off on Saturday live on TNT Sports.

Newcastle played Chelsea on Sunday and then again on Wednesday night and now partake in the early kick-off on Saturday which isn't ideal with a paper-thin squad such as the one Eddie Howe has to work with.

That being said, nobody would have called the team that Howe put out on Wednesday night anything like the 'strongest' side but they put in one of the best performances of the season so the boss now has some thinking to do on his team selection for Saturday.

The likes of Lloyd Kelly, Emil Krafth, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock all played their way into Howe's thoughts while Joelinton playing on the left flank and then at right wingback has given Howe even more options.

Eddie Howe still has slight concerns over Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon's fitness

Those options might be important given the quick turnaround of fixtures.

Eddie Howe spoke to the media this morning (via The Chronicle) and addressed the issue of having three games in a week when players are carrying knocks.

Alexander Isak still isn't 100% after his broken toe and Anthony Gordon missed Sunday's meeting with Chelsea with a groin issue, but played on Wednesday, however Howe is cautious of overworking them,

"They both feel OK, we will assess how they feel today, 48 hours after the game. They have both had niggling injuries so we’ll make a decision today. We need to make sure whoever enters the pitch against Arsenal is in the best physical condition."

Facing Arsenal without Gordon and Isak is a daunting prospect

It seems unthinkable going into a game against Arsenal without Gordon and Isak, but we'd rather give it a go and lose than play them both when they aren't 100% and losing them for a chunk of the season.

Besides, Will Osula must be champing at the bit after hitting the post on Wednesday. His time is coming for sure.

We expect that Isak and Gordon will start and Howe is just relaying caution, however, we are really struggling to predict the full lineup after Wednesday.