Eddie Howe has claimed that Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier should be fit and ready to face Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
Premier League football returns this weekend after the international break and Eddie Howe is hoping to have as many players fit and ready as Newcastle look to take on a Chelsea team full of confidence.
Speaking at his press conference, Howe suggested that Trippier should be fine for the weekend despite him pulling out of England’s final Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia.
Newcastle finally have positive injury news
It had been a long couple of months at Newcastle as the injuries just seemed to keep piling up with more added to the list almost every game.
When facing Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago, Eddie Howe had been without 12 first-team players before Miguel Almiron was forced off in the first-half.
The international break came at a great time as the team look to get a few players back in, but perhaps more importantly it also allowed for the starting 11 to get some rest after a long run of games in which most of them had to play the full 90 minutes.
Trippier was not believed to have had an injury but dropped out of the England squad due to a personal matter, leaving Newcastle fans concerned over if he would be available for the Chelsea game.
Similarly, Fabian Schar also pulled out of international duty for Switzerland with a small knock, though he returned for their second game of the break.
Speaking on the duo’s fitness, Howe said: “Fabian [Schär] was more precautionary rather than any injury, we saw him yesterday – he seemed good. Kieran [Trippier] is fine, he has trained with us since his return from England.”
Newcastle looking to bounce back against Chelsea
After some disappointing results both in the league and the Champions League, Howe will be hoping that this injury boost can help to motivate his team in a crucial match on Saturday afternoon.
Newcastle have one of the best home records in the league, winning five out of six and keeping a clean sheet in four, but Chelsea are on the rise and full of confidence after putting eight past Manchester City and Tottenham in their last two games.
The availability of Trippier is huge for Newcastle who will need both his creativity and leadership at the back against Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea team.
The Magpies are also set to face PSG and Manchester United in two huge games in the next week, so a win against Chelsea would certainly give them a confidence boost for the upcoming fixtures.
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