Cup change makes Alexander Isak’s Newcastle return even more unlikely

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Newcastle United’s cup clash with Bournemouth has now been rescheduled, which could be bad news for Alexander Isak and his return from injury.

The Magpies were set to return to competitive action on December 21st, but the game has now been brought forward 24 hours.

Newcastle will now face Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on December 20th, with kickoff remaining at 7.45pm. This is due to NHS strike action next week, which will impact the North East Ambulance Service that the club use for their home games.

It has therefore forced the fixture to be rearranged, which means we are now even closer to seeing Eddie Howe’s side back in competitive action.

However, it could mean it is unlikely that we see Isak make his long awaited return from injury.

Alexander Isak return could now be delayed

The last time Isak played for Newcastle was September 17th. It was his third appearance for the club, and it saw him net his second goal in black and white.

Since then he has been plagued by a thigh problem, and it was hoped that he would be fit to return after the World Cup break.

However, that is now in doubt. The 23-year-old travelled with the group to Saudi Arabia, but did not feature in the friendly win over Al Hilal.

With Isak yet to return to full training, it is incredibly unlikely that we see him on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano either.

And with the game against Bournemouth now set to take place 24 hours earlier than initially planned, it gives the Sweden international even less time to recover and make himself available for selection.

Chris Wood is also an injury concern, having limped off in Riyadh last week. That could mean Allan Saint-Maximin is forced to lead the line for the Magpies next Tuesday night.

Rearranging the fixture was unavoidable, but it does mean that an Isak return in the Carabao Cup is now even more unlikely. That means that the Boxing Day game against Leicester could be the first time we see the striker after his injury woes.

It has been a frustrating start to life at Newcastle for Isak. Howe called him a ‘special player‘ after his debut against Liverpool, but we are yet to see just how special he really is. And it is now unlikely we will see that against Bournemouth.