Newcastle United head coach Steve Bruce has a host of injury concerns ahead of the Magpies’ penultimate game of the season at Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday night (6pm kick-off).
United face the long trip to play the Seagulls without the services of a handful of first team regulars, with defender Fabian Schär the latest absentee after he suffered a shoulder injury in Wednesday’s home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
And Bruce admits his side’s task of finishing the campaign on a high note has become a slightly more difficult ask as he has to make do without the services of some of his key performers.
“We’re without seven, possibly eight. Five of them are centre backs, which is just ridiculous,” he said ahead of the fixture at the Amex Stadium.
“It’s a big frustration of ours at the minute. To have seven or eight missing… most people accept that you’re going to have one, two or three, but seven or eight is a huge number, especially when five of them are centre backs and two of them are middle of midfield players.
“But it is what it is, and we have to get on with it. We knew there were going to be difficulties ahead but not to this severity, that’s for sure.”
As well as Schär, Bruce is without midfield duo Isaac Hayden as Sean Longstaff, while defensive players Ciaran Clark, Florian Lejeune, Paul Dummett and Jamaal Lascelles are also out.
Influential winger Allan Saint-Maximin is also a doubt for the game on the south coast and, with Brighton having secured their place in the Premier League with a decent run of form since the restart, Bruce knows his side’s final away game of the campaign will be far from easy as they face a team which has evolved significantly over the last 12 months.
“It’s fascinating to watch. Certainly Graham (Potter) has come in from Chris (Hughton), who did a wonderful job over the years down there, and obviously there is a different approach and different style,” he said.
“They’ve gone down a route where they’ve totally changed their whole philosophy, and practically changed from day one. From afar, for Brighton to stay in the division is always going to be their first and foremost, and adapting to trying to do something as quickly, they’ve done okay.
“They’ll be difficult opponents, and he’s certainly changed the whole philosophy of the club.”