Eddie Howe will make a late call on stars like Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson for the League Cup clash against Bournemouth.
The Newcastle United boss finds himself in the delicate position of playing a strong team - in order to show fan commitment to the cups - while also managing a squad with key players coming back from the World Cup. Howe was cautious when asked about team news but did state that Wilson was not injured.
Howe also did not offer any injury statuses on Miguel Almiron, Joelinton or Elliot Anderson - who all sat out of the friendly win against Rayo Vallecano at the weekend.
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Whether that suggest he could be in for a bench role, or even a surprise start, remains to be seen. Bruno is back in training while Schar is also in contention.
Howe said: "We will wait and see. I spoke with the international lads when they came back. Kieran and Nick were very keen to play, I think those conversations are important. I will continue those conversations with the other lads."
After Allan Saint-Maximin came off in the friendly win over Rayo Vallecano, Howe did confirm he'd suffered a small injury. But the winger reported for training this morning as usual.
He said: "I think there was a slight injury. We will see today when he comes in. Obviously, after a game things can be sore."
The game on Tuesday had been brought forward due to NHS strikes. On preparations, Howe said: "Not bad, 24 hours doesn't change much, it does change our training schedule but doesn't change much in terms of what we are looking to do.
"In terms of the Premier League fixture schedule it is a good thing to have this game. We have looked to get ourselves in a good physical condition. It is a chance to progress in a very important competition."
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