Eddie Howe hints at surprise injury boost ahead of Liverpool vs Newcastle United

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe could be handed a major injury boost against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

The Magpies have no fresh injury concerns heading into the game at Anfield, as Newcastle United aim to end their rotten record away to Liverpool.

Newcastle are predicted to lose, which is not a major surprise considering that Liverpool are top of the table and the Magpies have not won a league game at Anfield since April 1994.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	27	19	7	1	64	26	38	64
2	ArsenalArsenal	26	15	8	3	51	23	28	53
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	26	14	5	7	44	33	11	47
4	Man CityManchester City	26	13	5	8	52	37	15	44
5	NewcastleNewcastle	26	13	5	8	46	36	10	44

But this is a very good Newcastle United team, and it is a team that could be boosted by the return of Joelinton.

• READ MORE: Who is Joelinton? Age, Height, Chant, Position, Socials and More

Eddie Howe provides Joelinton update ahead of Liverpool vs Newcastle United

The 28-year-old has missed Newcastle United’s previous four games with a knee injury.

However, it has been reported that Joelinton is set to return against Brighton on Sunday. That is a major boost, with the Brazilian on course to be fit for the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on March 16th.

However, Eddie Howe says there is now a chance that Joelinton could be available ahead of schedule.

“Again with Joe, it is similar to Sven, he is really improving and doing really well and pushing,” he said, as reported by the Chronicle.

“He is another player who could be quite close [for Liverpool]. Joe is always important from a number of perspectives especially in defending set pieces.

“He has those key aspects that we have missed when he’s not there, his physicality and strength there is an obvious presence missing in our midfield, Joey is a massive player for us.”

Update on Sandro Tonali’s injury

Howe’s update on Joelinton is encouraging, while there is also positive news on Sandro Tonali’s fitness.

The 24-year-old dropped to the bench against Nottingham Forest on Sunday due to a hamstring issue, with Lewis Miley taking Tonali’s place. The teenager played incredibly well, but Tonali was at least fit enough to make a cameo as a substitute.

Howe has now provided an update on Tonali’s condition, and it sounds like he could be available to return to the starting XI at Anfield.

“Sandro came through fine, I anticipate he will be fully fit for Wednesday,” Howe said.

With Tonali ‘fine’ after his hamstring problem, the Italy international should regain his place in the Newcastle midfield.

That means that someone will need to drop out, and it will be a toss up between Joe Willock and Lewis Miley. Geordie Boot Boys have predicted that the former will be dropped, with Willock on the bench in our predicted Newcastle XI to face Liverpool.