The team news Blackburn Rovers fans didn't want to hear ahead of Newcastle United clash

Bradley Johnson, who scored for Blackburn on the opening day of the season, will miss the game with an ankle problem.

Striker Sam Gallagher is also set to miss the Carabao Cup clash, while Bradley Dack is a long-term absentee.

Mowbray was also set to hold discussions with former Magpie Adam Armstrong about his potential involvement in the tie – given the Lancashire side are likely to prioritise their Championship clash with Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

But local lad Armstrong is likely to want to feature against his former side.

Rovers will also be unable to call on a number of under-23 players after they participated in a behind closed doors friendly with Sunderland on Monday afternoon, running out 2-0 winners.

Speaking on the injury situation, Mowbray said: “Bradley Johnson is the main one, I’m hoping he will be okay for the weekend so we won’t take a chance on him, apart from that, the same sort of squad will travel.

“We are training with 17 today because there’s an Under-23s side going to play Sunderland.

“It feels as if we’ve been going quite a while already. Because it’s such a short pre-season you do feel as though you’re picking up a lot of knocks and niggles and as you try and get their fitness levels to where you want them, you push them pretty hard and it does feel like the middle of pre-season still where’s the aches and the pains and a few knocks.

“Really you should keep pushing them hard, because it feels like pre-season, you’re four weeks in and normally a pre-season is six weeks.

“What I’m trying to say is there’s a few knocks and pains, but we’ll pick the team with half an eye on Saturday because Wycombe on Saturday, after an opening day defeat, that becomes more important for us and we have to try and get three points.”