Eddie Howe says 28y/o Newcastle player likely to miss PL clash v Ipswich | OneFootball

Newcastle United will travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Magpies are heading into this game on the back of a 3-1 win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at St James’ Park.

Newcastle midfielder Joelinton picked up a nasty ear injury against Brentford and was taken to hospital.

Brentford’s Nathan Collins appeared to have struck the Magpies midfielder with a flying elbow and caught the Brazilian’s head with his studs.

Joelinton reacted furiously, and his teammates rushed in to drag him away. It was a nasty cut, and he needed stitches.

Ahead of the match, Howe told the reporters that the 28-year-old probably won’t be in the squad for the weekend’s clash, but the injury is not as serious as initially feared.

Howe said, as quoted by the Chronicle: “Yeah, he’s OK. He’s a little bit battered and bruised. He’s had a few stitches, I believe.

“There was a bit around the area of the ear which was quite delicate and he had a cut mouth I think.

“Probably him not being available this weekend is probably a good thing for him because it allows him to rest those bruises and wounds and then hopefully be fully fixed.”

Newcastle United looking to build momentum

The Magpies returned to winning ways in the Premier League after beating Leicester City 4-0. They had failed to win in their previous four games.

Newcastle are 12th in the Premier League with 23 points on board, five points behind fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.

If they can maintain a winning run from here, the Magpies will still be in a good position to challenge for the top-four spot.

The Magpies have won only two games away from home this season and conceded 13 goals. This is one area where they need to improve.

Newcastle will face Aston Villa, Manchester United and Tottenham in their next three Premier League games, and Howe will need Joelinton to return to full fitness.

Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for the Magpies to give him a proper rest this weekend (against Ipswich) ahead of some big fixtures.

Newcastle should also look to strengthen their squad in the January window, but they must offload players before bringing in new faces.

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