‘I can’t’ - Sandro Tonali decision & Newcastle United injury update on £60m duo ahead of Borussia Dortmund

Tonali has continued to train with Newcastle in preparation for Wednesday night’s Champions League group stage match against Borussia Dortmund (8pm kick-off).

Ahead of the match, Howe was asked about the midfielder’s availability.

“As far as I’m aware, I’m expecting him to be available tomorrow,” said The Magpies’ boss. “I’m in a position where I’ll plan like that until told differently. I can’t second guess what’s going to happen.

“He’s trained and he’s available.”

Joe Willock has also been in training ahead of the match after a five-month absence while Sven Botman remains out with a knee injury.

“Sandro is fit and fine, obviously he has things going on but he’s the same as he was before Crystal Palace,” Howe added. “Willock is getting closer with every day that passes and Sven is still out, but other than that we’re pretty similar.”

Newcastle go into the game on the back of a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday and sit top of their Champions League group on four points.

“We’ve been preparing for this game since our last one,” Howe continued. “A tough game ahead. The beauty of the PSG game was the whole environment created by the supporters.

“We need to take confidence from that game but forget it. You go from AC Milan, to PSG, to Dortmund, it’s great to be involved in. We’ve made a great start but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, this is a key period for us.”