Newcastle United are sweating on the fitness of Joelinton ahead of huge game on Wednesday night

 · February 3 2025, 18:30
Newcastle United are sweating on the fitness of Joelinton ahead of huge game on Wednesday night
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Newcastle United are heading into the biggest game of the season so far, with the second leg clash of the Carabao Cup semi-final at St James' Park to take place on Wednesday night.

While Newcastle carry a two-goal lead into the game, Arsenal's 5-1 destruction of Manchester City has set alarm bells ringing on Tyneside, especially given how poor the Magpies have been in the last two games.

Bournemouth and Fulham both left St James' Park with maximum points, while Newcastle looked like an absolute shadow of their former selves. More akin to the side that struggled to get going at the start of the campaign than the one that went on a huge unbeaten run in December and January.

Now, Eddie Howe could have a big problem to deal with as Joelinton posted an image on Instagram where he was seen wearing a leg brace.

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Eddie Howe confirmed Joelinton was playing with a knee injury on Saturday

Local journalist Joel Bland posted on X that Joelinton has travelled to London to see a specialist about his knee, which was heavily strapped up during Saturday's game.

It does suggest that Joelinton has been playing while not 100% which would explain his recent performances somewhat, with Eddie Howe confirming (via The Chronicle) that Joelinton was playing injured.

"Joelinton was suffering with a knee injury. That was a shame, but he was clearly struggling in that second half."

That also brings up the question: Where the hell is James Bunce? We thought Bunce was brought in as the last line of defence to stop us from using players carrying any kind of knock and exacerbating their condition.

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A tweak to the starting lineup may be what Newcastle need

A slight change to the lineup may not be the worst thing in the world going into Wednesday's game, we just didn't want it to be a forced one and we hope that whatever is going on with Joelinton won't keep him out of action for too long.

Now Eddie Howe has to decide who to start in Joelinton's place. Sean Longstaff would be the obvious choice if the plan is to soak up the Arsenal pressure, but at St James' Park with a 2-0 lead, is that really the play here?

Lewis Miley might be a good shout, but we hope it's not Joe Willock. Willock has failed to make any kind of impression lately, and as much it would be a big show of solidarity after the abhorrent abuse he received at the weekend, is his head in the right place?

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