Newcastle United are set for one of the biggest games in their recent history on Wednesday night.
AC Milan are in town as Newcastle look to keep their Champions League campaign alive.
Win and Eddie Howe’s side are guaranteed European football in at least some capacity after Christmas.
Should Paris Saint-Germain fail to beat Borussia Dortmund, the Magpies will progress into the Champions League knockouts with three points.
Clearly, the stakes are high. A loss at St James’ Park – particularly after the last two away performances – would be a major blow to their hopes for the season.
Howe, then, needs his key players available.
Newcastle team news vs Milan: Howe admits “outstanding” star could miss Champions League game
Still, as ever, Newcastle continue to be blighted by injury problems.
With Nick Pope already out for the foreseeable future, Martin Dubravka has stepped in. He, however, has not been totally convincing and there were suggestions he was carrying an injury during the defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.
Asked about the goalkeeper’s fitness, Howe responded (via Lee Ryder): “That is unclear.”
Martin Dubravka: Latest injury worry for Newcastle
Granted, Dubravka may not have been at his best since replacing Pope.
It would, however, be remiss not to mention how good the 34-year-old has been at times during his Newcastle career.
Hailed as “outstanding” by Howe last year, the Slovakian does was one of the shining lights of the Rafa Benitez and Steve Bruce eras.
Having to rely on Loris Karius as a back-up would be a major worry. Though clearly someone Howe rates, he has not played competitively since the Carabao Cup final way back in February.
To go into what effectively is a play-off without their two first-choice goalkeepers is a major concern for a Newcastle side who just cannot seem to shake injury problems.
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