Newcastle United host PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night at St James’ Park in Champions League Gameweek 7, with kick-off scheduled for 8.00pm.
Newcastle enter the fixture 12th in the league phase with 10 points, two adrift of the top eight with two matches remaining. They have won three of six European games so far and are seeking a return to winning form after a two-match winless run in the competition. This match precedes a final league phase trip to Paris Saint-Germain.
Eddie Howe’s side have progressed
well in domestic cup competitions but drew 0-0 with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend. Several players remain unavailable, including Dan Burn, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, Jacob Murphy, Valentino Livramento, William Osula and Jamaal Lascelles. Changes are possible in attack following recent results.
PSV arrive 21st in the standings but are unbeaten away in the Champions League league phase. Their away results include a 4-1 win at Liverpool and draws with Bayer Leverkusen and Olympiacos. Domestically, they lead the Eredivisie by 16 points. PSV are without several injured players but may keep an unchanged lineup after six straight wins in all competitions.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On Burn and Osula’s fitness…
“Dan’s making really good progress. The journey back he’s had, he’s pretty much stuck to the timelines we expected but he wont make tomorrow, it’s too early.
“Same with Will Osula, this was their first day with the team but hopefully they’re not too far away.”
On Peter Bosz’s PSV side and the task ahead…
“We’ll relish the two games we have to come. We have to win the two games in front of us, starting with tomorrow. It’s a great game for us.
“PSV are a very good team. I’ve been impressed in the research we’ve done on them and the way they’ve been playing. It’s set up to be a great game.”
On aiming for the top eight…
“It’s a massive incentive because it means less games in a season that we’ve been stretched physically and mentally. The priority is to qualify however we do that. We’re striving every game to maximise what we can deliver. The Marseille game still hurts us a bit because we were in a strong position in that game. “We’ve got two games left and we have to commit to every game and try to win every game and see where it takes us.”
On the Magpies’ current form…
“I think since the (November) international break, the Manchester City game, I’ve seen an upturn in performances generally. We’ve been much more consistent. In that break we did a lot of work, probably the only time we’ve been able to train in recent months.
“It’s not been perfect, there has been the odd game where we haven’t performed to the level we want to but generally much better. Much more like ourselves, scoring goals again. The challenge for us is to maintain that.”
On Dutch defender Sven Botman, who recently signed a new deal with the club…
“It’s been a tough few months for him, difficult injury problems and setbacks. He’s had to show real strength of character because he always wants to play and help the team. He’s got great qualities and I think we really, really missed him. It took a long time to adjust to being without him.
“To get him back is a massive lift and I think we’re seeing the early signs of him returning to his best levels and hopefully that can stay the same for many years to come.”
Howay!
- Date: Wednesday, January 21st
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST
- Location: St. James’ Park, Newcastle (England)
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