Kieran Trippier’s injury means he will certainly miss Saturday’s clash in the capital whilst Javier Manquillo’s injury status is still not yet known, meaning the Spaniard may also miss the game against West Ham.
It wasn’t pretty at times on Sunday, however, victory made it three wins in a row for the Magpies and Howe yet again has to decide if he wants to freshen up a winning side, or trust the players that delivered victory against Villa.
A 4-3-3 formation seems to be working very well recently and it’s likely that, even with a couple of enforced changes needed, that this will be the system he opts for again at the weekend.
Here, we take a look at what side Howe might select for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against West Ham:
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1. GK: Martin Dubravka
Playing behind a defence that seems to be getting stronger every game, Dubravka had very little to do to keep his third clean sheet of the season on Sunday. Photo: George Wood
2. RB: Emil Krafth
Krafth did a solid job filling in for Trippier on Sunday and may be asked to start a game for just the second time under Eddie Howe on Saturday. Photo: Stu Forster
3. CB: Fabian Schar
Despite playing alongside a different defensive partner and being bandaged up, Schar put in yet another impressive display against Villa as the Swiss international is slowly becoming one of the first names on the team sheet. Photo: George Wood
4. CB: Dan Burn
Burn was superb on his Newcastle United debut and rightly awarded Man of the Match. He will need to be on form once again this weekend as Newcastle face yet another tough test. Photo: George Wood