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Newcastle United head into the clash with Aston Villa having won three games on the bounce. Villa, meanwhile, defeated Manchester City at the weekend and will come to St James’ Park sat two places and two points above their hosts.
Ahead of that match, the Magpies have a couple of fresh injury worries to deal with, including Joelinton who missed their trip to Portman Road through suspension. The Brazilian suffered a knock against Brentford last week and whilst his omission on Saturday was enforced after he picked up five Premier League bookings, he remains a doubt to return to action against Villa.
Sven Botman, meanwhile, is edging closer to a return. The Dutchman hasn’t featured in the first-team since March after suffering an ACL injury.
Here, we take a look at injury news from both camps ahead of Newcastle United’s clash with Aston Villa on Boxing Day:
9. Joelinton - doubt
Howe revealed that he was hopeful that Joelinton would be able to feature against Aston Villa after picking up facial injuries during their Carabao Cup win over Brentford last week. | Getty Images