Manchester United will make the trip to Tyneside this weekend to face Newcastle United on Sunday, April 2. Kick-off is at 4.30pm.
The match is crucial to this campaign’s top-four battle; Newcastle sit just three points behind the Reds and so can leapfrog into third with a win.
Erik ten Hag has been granted fitness boosts in the form of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. The latter withdrew from international duty after picking up a knock in United’s last match, whilst the former has spent the majority of the season on the sidelines. Whether or not he will start the game in the line-up or on the bench remains to be seen.
Newcastle team news
Meanwhile, Eddie Howe provided an update on his team and the availability of several key players. Nick Pope, for example, also withdrew from the England squad, whilst Sven Botman left the Netherlands camp with an illness.
Both have trained though, whilst Brazilian forward Joelinton has returned from suspension.
In his pre-match press conference, the Magpies boss said (via the club website): “Nick [Pope] felt a problem in his thigh after the Wolves game and didn’t train in preparation for the Nottingham Forest game but completed that game with a bit of discomfort. He didn’t train in Dubai but has done this week so the signs are good.
“Sven [Botman] suffered a nasty bout of food poisoning. I don’t think he was alone in the Netherlands camp, so he left early to get himself back up to speed. He’s trained with us since he’s returned, so he should be fine.
“I don’t know if he [Anthony Gordon] will be available on Sunday. He took part in a very small part of training on Wednesday, so we’ll see how he’s responded to that today.
“I’d love him [Miguel Almiron] to beat the timescale given but I don’t see it currently. He’s making good progress and he’s pain-free so I don’t think there are any-long term issues but it’s just the time it takes for the muscle to heal. I think we’re four weeks off, maybe slightly less, but he’s making really good progress.”
