Newcastle United’s injury crisis got even worse on Tuesday night, but all the Magpies can do is dust themselves down to take on Luton Town this weekend.
Eddie Howe’s side head to Kenilworth Road on Saturday for a traditional 3pm kickoff, as they look to improve on what is currently an awful away record.
Pundit Chris Sutton believes they will get their second Premier League win on the road this season, but it is certainly going to be a difficult game.
While the results suggest otherwise, Luton have been decent home. They got a point against Liverpool, while they were unlucky to lose to Arsenal and Manchester City.
To make matters worse, Newcastle are going to be without some key players, and this is the starting XI we predict Eddie Howe to pick against the Hatters
Kieran Trippier starts after Carabao Cup disaster
Kieran Trippier has not started for Newcastle since the Champions League defeat to AC Milan, but should return on Saturday.
The game against Luton comes after the 33-year-old had a night to forget in the Carabao Cup. Trippier came on at half time on Tuesday night, with his error allowing Chelsea to take the game to penalties. He then missed his spot kick as Newcastle crashed out of the competition.
In an ideal world, Howe would rest Trippier at Luton, but that might not be possible. We expect him to take Emil Krafth’s place in the side, while Sven Botman will probably return to the bench.
That means Dan Burn will have to play at centre-back, with Fabian Schar due to miss out with injury.
Matt Ritchie starts against Luton Town
Another player who could miss the game due to injury is Anthony Gordon. The 22-year-old was on the end of a nasty tackle from Moises Caicedo on Tuesday night, and looks likely to miss the trip to Luton.
That is a big issue for Newcastle, as they do not have many alternatives.
If Gordon does miss out, it could lead to Matt Ritchie starting in the Premier League for the first time since December 2021. The £12million man played at left-back that day as Eddie Howe’s side were beaten 4-0 by Manchester City at St James’ Park.
Alexander Isak on the Newcastle bench
It is not all doom and gloom on the injury front. It has been reported that Alexander Isak could return after missing two games with a groin problem.
Hopefully he is on the bench, but it would be a huge surprise if the 24-year-old were to start. It might depend on how Callum Wilson is feeling, with the number nine having played every minute of the Magpies’ previous three games.
Predicted XI vs Luton: Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Livramento; Longstaff, Bruno, Miley; Ritchie, Wilson, Almiron.
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