Newcastle United are one game away from reaching another Carabao Cup semi final, and Eddie Howe has some big decisions to make.
The Newcastle United boss will be keen to name another strong side against Chelsea, but will be wary that some of his players could do with a rest.
It is a difficult situation for Eddie Howe, who witnessed his injury crisis get slightly worse on Saturday against Fulham.
Both Fabian Schar and Joelinton were forced off, but the Magpies were at least boosted by the return of Sven Botman.
He came off the bench after missing 17 consecutive games with a knee injury, and there was a huge roar from the Toon Army as he strode onto the pitch. There was also visible joy from the Newcastle players, who have clearly missed playing alongside Botman.
It is fantastic to have the 23-year-old back from injury, and everyone associated with Newcastle United will be hoping that he is back for good.
That includes Eddie Howe, who is still unsure whether or not to name Botman in his starting XI for Tuesday night’s game at Stamford Bridge.
Eddie Howe unsure if Sven Botman will start vs Chelsea
Howe has spoke to the media ahead of the game against Chelsea, and refused to confirm whether or not Botman will start for Newcastle.
“He’s rehabbed really well so we will have to make a decision on whether we want to start him in this game,” he said.
“There are certain players that lift the team that little bit extra and he is one of those players. He’s a big presence, a big guy and we missed his presence.”
Newcastle must be careful with Botman
It was telling that when Schar was forced off on Saturday, Botman did not even warm up. Howe did not even consider thrusting Botman back into the action with more than 70 minutes to play, which tells you all you need to know about his fitness.
It was good to see him get some minutes in the tank, but it would perhaps be a surprise to see him start against Chelsea, just a few days after the win over Fulham.
While we want to see Botman starting as soon as possible, Howe needs to be really careful. They have taken their time with his recovery, doing all they could to ensure he did not need to undergo surgery.
That has proven to be successful, but there will still be caution when it comes to bedding Botman back into the team.
It would be great if he could start against Chelsea, but it would still come as a surprise.
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