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:
9. RW: Jacob Murphy
Murphy has deputised from the bench in recent games and could be used as a very useful weapon against his old club. Photo: Stu Forster
10. ST: Chris Wood
Everyone is desperate to see Wood add to his tally in the black and white and where better to do this than against a low on confidence Norwich City side? Photo: Stu Forster
11. LW: Miguel Almiron
The Paraguayan was fantastic against Crystal Palace and deserves to be in Howe’s starting side once again. Photo: Ian MacNicol