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Howe waiting on Almirón fitness ahead of Villa clash
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe hopes Miguel Almirón will be fit enough to return to the Magpies' squad for Tuesday night's Premier League game at Aston Villa.
Paraguayan winger Almirón missed out on Saturday night's FA Cup fourth round win at Fulham through illness, with United progressing in his absence thanks to goals from Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn.
Head coach Howe wants to be able to welcome Almirón back into the fold for the midweek trip to Villa Park (kick-off 8:15pm GMT) but revealed captain Jamaal Lascelles, who also missed the victory at Craven Cottage, is likely to miss out again with a calf problem.
There were a number of topics up for discussion at Howe's pre-match media briefing at Newcastle's training centre in Benton on Monday morning, including injury updates, the weekend win and kick-off times. Here are some of the main talking points:
On the fitness of Almirón and Lascelles...
"We hope Miggy will be with us. Jamaal, I’m not so sure about. It's not a serious injury but I think it might be enough to keep him out of this game - it will be close. We certainly hope to have Miggy with us."
On whether some of United's other sidelined players are nearing a return...
"Harvey (Barnes) is getting closer. He's probably the closest, along with Callum (Wilson).
"Then you go a little bit further back to Joe (Willock) and a bit further again to Elliot (Anderson), then we have a couple of others that are even further back. Harvey and Callum are probably the closest to returning to help us."
On his side having to kick off successive away games at 7pm on Saturday and 8:15pm on Tuesday night...
"Both are strange. It does look like a lack of care for the supporters.
"When you consider the loyalty and passion Newcastle supporters show, you know there's going to be a huge number that want to go to the game. We thank them for their support and sympathise about the travel arrangements."
On the Magpies' emphatic 5-1 win over Villa on the opening day of the season...
"It seems a long time ago. I think we were at our best from an attacking sense that day. We grew in confidence as the game went on and we scored some great goals.
"The squad looked healthy and we had options - it was a difficult team to pick. I think that showed what we're capable of."
On the significance of Saturday's FA Cup win at Fulham...
"It was an important win for us. It wasn't our best performance but it was important. Defensively, we looked resilient and solid.
"Hopefully it gives us a lot of confidence. I think you've seen an improved performance towards the end of the game, probably reflecting the scoreline and the fact we were winning - you saw a bit of freedom return."
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