Eddie Howe says Sven Botman’s availability at Arsenal tomorrow night will be a collaborative decision and won’t be left in the player’s hands.
Botman made his first start in almost 10 months in Newcastle’s 2-1 win at Tottenham on Saturday after working his way back to full fitness following cruciate ligament surgery.
The Netherlands international played for 92 minutes before finally making way for Lloyd Kelly as Newcastle claimed their sixth successive victory in all competitions.
Eddie Howe on Arsenal test:
“We’ve got to be really good off the ball and solid defensively. We’ve got to cause Arsenal problems the other way. I don’t think we should overthink it, we just need to get that mix right. Let’s try and continue the good performances we’ve given… pic.twitter.com/7PC0IJeNOf
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) January 6, 2025
Their next assignment is also in North London as they visit the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
Asked whether Botman would feature, Howe said: “We have to speak to the player, the medical team, the experts. They’ll give me some of the answers to what we do with him next.
“Sven is a competitor. He is hugely driven for the team and himself. He wants to do really well in his career so I’ve got no doubts what he will say, but we need to, as I said, speak to other people and try and come up with the right decision.”
Gordon fit but two key absentees
Anthony Gordon is expected to be fit after sustaining a cut to the face at the weekend but the visitors will be without suspended duo Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes.
Guimaraes has formed a good understanding with Joelinton and Sandro Tonali in Newcastle’s midfield and Howe admits he will be a big miss.
He added: “One of Bruno’s biggest strengths is that he is always there for you, his appearance record has been brilliant for us, especially when you consider the physical exertion he commits to every game.
“His training is good, he’s been exceptional in every way, so to lose him, when he’s such a pivotal figure for us, is a big miss. But we have big players that can fill his shoes as well. Whoever I choose in that position, I think we’ll have a quality player coming in.”
Longstaff likely to come in
Sean Longstaff will likely deputise for the Brazilian with Howe knowing his team will need to be strong defensively.
“We’ve got to be really good off the ball and solid defensively,” he said. “We’ve got to cause Arsenal problems the other way. I don’t think we should overthink it, we just need to get that mix right. Let’s try and continue the good performances we’ve given recently and try and win the game.”