Hard-fought wins against Leicester City and Crystal Palace have come at a cost for Howe’s side who admitted the effort his team put in for each game has come at a ‘physical cost’.
Premier League safety has seemingly been secured and so it could be the ideal time for Howe to put out a rotated team and rest his squad ahead of huge games against Liverpool and Manchester City to come.
Just a few weeks ago, the game with Norwich looked like a huge relegation ‘six-pointer’, however, the Magpies travel to Carrow Road relatively pressure-free.
Their hosts still have hopes of survival and so it looks like being another very difficult test for Howe’s side.
Here, we predict what the Newcastle United starting line-up could look like for their trip to face Norwich City:
1. GK: Martin Dubravka
Another clean sheet came Dubravka’s way against Crystal Palace as he remains relatively untroubled behind a very solid defensive structure. Photo: Stu Forster
2. RB: Emil Krafth
Krafth performed magnificently against Wilfried Zaha on Wednesday evening and has improved with every performance recently. Photo: George Wood
3. CB: Fabian Schar
Schar has flown under the radar recently as fans become accustomed to solid 7/10 performances from the Swiss international. Hopefully another will follow at Carrow Road. Photo: George Wood
4. CB: Dan Burn
Defensively Newcastle have been rock-solid recently and that is largely down to Dan Burn’s efforts at the back. Photo: Stu Forster