Brentford boss Thomas Frank has provided injury updates for several key players ahead of their visit to Newcastle United on Wednesday.
It is the first Premier League game week in a fortnight following the international break, and Newcastle United are going into it with renewed confidence after making history at Wembley last month.
The Magpies are still riding the coattails of their emphatic Carabao Cup win against Liverpool, but now the focus returns to league competition and finishing as high in the table as possible.
Newcastle are looking to avenge their last league game against Brentford, where they were embarrassed by Eddie Howe’s dream target Bryan Mbeumo at the Gtech Community Stadium last December. The Magpies got one over them in the Carabao Cup shortly after but dropping points at this stage of the season will be seen as unthinkable by Howe.
Newcastle are aiming for Champions League qualification, that is according to Harvey Barnes, who will be in line to start with Anthony Gordon still suspended.
Newcastle are without Lewis Hall and Sven Botman for the clash as the pair recover from respective ankle and knee injuries.
With the Magpies eager to grab three points at St James’ Park on Wednesday night, Thomas Frank has provided a big squad injury update.
Thomas Frank confirms Brentford injuries for Newcastle clash
Injuries have been a recurring theme for Frank’s Brentford side this season, severely hampering their progress in the League. After an impressive start, the Bees now find themselves 11th in the Premier League table, albeit still in with a chance of qualifying for Europe.
However, if they are to do it, it will have to be without some of their key players, as the Dane has confirmed that seven players will miss the Newcastle clash, with some unlikely to make it back before the end of the season.
As reported on Brentford’s official website, Frank said: “Michael Kayode is back in, but Mathi [Jensen] is not ready yet,” Frank said. “There was some illness there, which means he has missed some training.”
Frank has been without defensive duo Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry after they picked up major injuries at St James’ Park in 2023.
“Hickey, Rico and (Gustavo) Nunes all came through well, but it’s just too short for them to be involved in the Newcastle game.
“All three looked good and ticked the physical boxes.
“Rico is the one who is furthest ahead of the three – I think he is close to returning to the squad. It could be for Chelsea [on Sunday 6 April], but let’s see.
“Hickey is on track. He had some minor pain which limited his minutes; we’re being extra cautious.”
“(Igor) Thiago is progressing, going a little bit slower, but progressing,” Frank added.
“He is building the muscle volume and strength around the knee to make sure he ticks all of the strength markers.
“He is running, and he is also part training, so it’s moving forward.
“Josh Dasilva is a little bit further off it than Igor.”
Frank also confirmed that Fabio Carvalho, who joined Brentford for £27.5m, is not expected to be back before the end of the season.
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Newcastle United must pounce on Brentford injury problems
With Newcastle not playing for two weeks, there will be some concerns from the fanbase over whether they will be able to hit the same levels they did at Wembley two weeks ago.
It is important for Howe to ensure he now gets the game plan right and takes advantage of Brentford’s struggles to secure the three points and rise up the Premier League table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 6 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 47 | 38 | 9 | 47 |
Newcastle hold the aces in the Premier League by having a game in hand over Manchester City and Chelsea above them – they will play Crystal Palace later in April to equal the number of games played as their league rivals.
In the meantime, fans will be eager to see their team on home turf again with the hope that they can pick up another win and move closer towards that illustrious Champions League spot.
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