Eddie Howe reveals injured Newcastle United stars…

Eddie Howe reveals injured Newcastle United stars 'close' to return ahead of Crystal Palace tie

Newcastle United may have been handed a selection boost ahead of Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace.

The Magpies were without star players Bruno Guimaraes and Allan Saint-Maximin on Wednesday night as Eddie Howe’s side suffered an agonising 2-1 defeat at Liverpool following Fabio Carvalho’s 98^th minute winner.

Both players have been sidelined recently due to hamstring injuries, with Guimaraes also missing last week’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers that ended in a 1-1 draw. Leading striker Callum Wilson also missed both games with hamstring issues.

The 30-year-old frontman will not return against Palace at St James’ Park on Saturday, but Howe delivered a promising update regarding Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin. The Newcastle boss said: “Callum is slightly behind the other two I’d say. Bruno and Maxi are close. Not serious injuries. We’ll wait and see if they’ll be fit for this week.”

Summer signing Aleksander Isak had a debut to remember after putting Newcastle ahead at Anfield on Wednesday night. However, the 22-year-old, who became the Magpies record signing after a £58million move from Real Sociedad earlier this week, picked up a knock against Liverpool.

When asked if Isak would be available against Palace, Howe said: “I certainly hope so.”

Heading into Saturday’s fixture, Newcastle are currently sitting just one place above Palace in the table in 12th after picking up six points from their opening five games. After a 2-0 win on the opening day against Nottingham Forest, the Magpies went on a run of three consecutive Premier League draws (against Brighton, Manchester City and Wolves) before their defeat at Liverpool.

Palace also have just one win so far this season (against Aston Villa) but are clipping at the heels of the Magpies after draws against Liverpool and Brentford. Both sides have had similar starts to the season and Howe expects a vibrant St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon for Palace’s visit.

He said: “They’ve had a tough fixture list themselves, as we have. They’ve managed themselves well in those tough encounters. I expect St James’ Park to be rocking again – I certainly want to see a positive reaction from my team.”

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