Newcastle United are gearing up for their match against the A-League All Stars on Friday (Kick-off is 8:05am UK time) but the 29-man squad is now down to 24 after five departures.
Eddie Howe named a strong starting lineup on Wednesday as the Magpies took on Tottenham Hotspur at Melbourne Cricket Ground, but as the game went on more and more substitutions were made with a whole new XI on the pitch at full-time to the one that started the game.
This time around, Howe is expected to go with a more youthful-looking side from the start and will likely keep his first-team players on the bench for as long as he can, especially the likes of Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon who have been called upon for international duty.
It's also because of international commitments that four players have left the camp early as Bruno Guimaraes, Miguel Almiron, Emil Krafth and Alexander Isak have all returned home to link up with their national sides according to NewcastleWorld.
Also leaving the camp is Brazilian Joelinton, but the battling midfield beast hasn't been selected for international duty (if anyone wants to join our class-action lawsuit to fight this injustice send us an email), but he is gearing up for a special summer.
Joelinton has gone home to get prepared as he is set to marry his long-time partner Thays Gondim.
We don't know the date, but we wonder if Bruno will be able to attend or if he'll be away on COPA America duty with Brazil. Surely, he'll want Bruno there? Surely he'll be Best Man? Right? I'm available if not.
Meanwhile, Eddie Howe has addressed the concern around Kieran Trippier who came off early in the game on Wednesday and was seen with an ice pack on his ankle.
“No, I don’t think he’ll play Friday. Well, I don’t know actually, let’s see how he feels. He’ll be here with us for the full trip but we have to make sure we treat him well especially being in the early stages (of his comeback).”
The ice pack was said to just be precautionary and his early substitution was planned so Gareth Southgate shouldn't have anything to worry about. Unless something happens in tomorrow's game that is.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
7 | 11 | 18 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
7 | 9 | 17 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
7 | 9 | 17 |
4 |
Chelsea
|
7 | 8 | 14 |
5 |
Aston Villa
|
7 | 3 | 14 |
6 |
Brighton
|
7 | 3 | 12 |
7 |
Newcastle United
|
7 | 1 | 12 |
8 |
Fulham
|
7 | 2 | 11 |
9 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
7 | 6 | 10 |
10 |
Nottingham Forest
|
7 | 1 | 10 |
11 |
Brentford
|
7 | 0 | 10 |
12 |
West Ham United
|
7 | -1 | 8 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
7 | -2 | 8 |
14 |
Manchester United
|
7 | -3 | 8 |
15 |
Leicester
|
7 | -3 | 6 |
16 |
Everton
|
7 | -8 | 5 |
17 |
Ipswich
|
7 | -8 | 4 |
18 |
Crystal Palace
|
7 | -5 | 3 |
19 |
Southampton
|
7 | -11 | 1 |
20 |
Wolves
|
7 | -12 | 1 |