Eddie Howe is expected to rotate his Newcastle United side for the Carabao Cup clash against Wimbledon.
Just days after an energetic – but exhausting – draw with Manchester City, Newcastle United return to action at St James’ Park on Tuesday evening.
The Magpies were originally scheduled to face AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup last week before severe flooding at Plough Lane caused a postponement.
Both teams agreed to move the tie to Tyneside, and Eddie Howe will now have the chance to experiment with changes to his side in front of a sold-out home crowd.
Howe is expected to make several changes to allow key players to rest after the City draw while also giving fringe players a chance to impress. Two electric academy stars could also feature.
Eddie Howe drops Miguel Almiron hint
Supporters can expect changes to the front three. Anthony Gordon was “relentless” against City and made a staggering 33 sprints against the Premier League champions – he could be handed a well-earned rest.
Howe also issued an update on Alexander Isak’s fitness, with the Swedish striker set to miss the clash because of his toe injury.
In midfield, there are also fitness concerns around Sandro Tonali after he appeared to be struggling towards the end of the City draw.
As quoted by The Chronicle, Howe hinted that the out-of-favour Miguel Almiron will start.
“Miggy will be like every other player in the squad that wants to play and wants to influence and wants to make a difference with his qualities,” Howe said.
“Miggy is really highly valued by all of us. I think it’s been it’s been difficult to get him the minutes that he would crave early season, but this is a big moment for him to show his qualities.
“He’s an outstanding player, an outstanding athlete, someone that’s made a huge contribution to our success in recent years and someone we would love to see play well.”
‘Big moment’ for Miguel Almiron
As stated by Howe, Tuesday’s match will be a “big moment” for Almiron to impress.
He has tumbled down Howe’s pecking order this season and only played 63 minutes of football with his only start coming in the Carabao Cup tie against Nottingham Forest.
READ MORE: Miguel Almiron has now changed his mind about moving to Saudi Arabia if he leaves Newcastle
Almiron came extremely close to leaving Newcastle this summer but a return to the MLS with Charlotte FC collapsed late on.
The 30-year-old ended up staying put on Tyneside and Howe insists he has been “delighted” with Almiron’s attitude and work rate despite not starting.
Tuesday will give Almiron a chance to fight for his Newcastle future.
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