Newcastle star is now ‘unlikely’ to play against PSG

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The injuries are piling up for Newcastle United.

Harvey Barnes is a long-term absentee, while Callum Wilson missed Saturday’s win over Burnley. Joelinton, meanwhile, came off during that game only minutes after arriving onto the pitch.

Newcastle face another big week ahead. On Wednesday, they play their first Champions League match at St James’ Park for over twenty years with a certain Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe in town.

For a match of that magnitude, they need their best players available. Particularly the defensive ones.

So, the latest news on Sven Botman is not good.

Sven Botman unlikely to play in Newcastle’s next two games

Indeed, the Dutch defender will seemingly likely miss the PSG clash, as well as the trip to West Ham on Sunday.

Botman did not recover from a knock picked up during the big win over Sheffield United and Eddie Howe has since strongly suggested he is “unlikely” to play before October’s international break, as per The Chronicle’s Aaron Stokes.

What a blow for Newcastle

Botman, along with Fabian Schar, has been a large part of the defensive bedrock Newcastle have launched themselves into the Champions League from.

So to miss him for a game up against Mbappe and company is a major worry, and that’s putting it lightly.

Now, it’s time for Jamaal Lascelles to step up.

Praised by Howe during pre-season, the club captain is surely the man to step in for Botman, having played against Manchester City earlier this week and again against Burnley.

The 29-year-old will have to reach a level he surely did not think possible if he’s to convincingly rub shoulders with such talents in the Champions League.

It must be said that Lascelles has rarely let Newcastle down but few would doubt this is a huge step up in terms of the size of the task.