Speaking to the press today ahead of tomorrow’s game at St James’ Park, Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Islam Slimani WILL be in the squad to face Huddersfield tomorrow.
He also confirmed that Joselu will miss out with an ankle injury and that Matt Ritchie will be ‘fine’ to play, but the big news is that Leicester loanee Islam Slimani is finally in line to make his first appearance for the club.
Here’s what Rafa’s had to say on the injury front in the last few moments, confirming that Slimani will be in the squad for tomorrow’s big game:
“Ritchie had a little problem but have done the tests & he is fine. Slimani is also fine so he is fine. Joselu has twisted his ankle so he will be out for a week or so. Gamez & Elliot are back & the rest of the team is fine”
“We had a fitness plan (for Slimani), we were in contact with the federation & it was a good idea for everyone that he played some minutes. It is good for his confidence & he is in the squad for tomorrow”
Rafa Benítez has confirmed that @slimaniislam WILL be in the Newcastle United squad to face @htafcdotcom on Saturday. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/yAdi8mS5QV
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) March 30, 2018
This is great news for fans heading to St James’ hoping to see a glimpse of the Algerian striker, with it likely that he’ll make a late appearance from the bench.
It also suggests that he’s looked relatively sharp in training over the last two days, with Rafa unlikely to select him if he was looking way off the pace (which his Algeria cameo suggested).
Here’s a round up of some of the other quotes from Rafa during today’s press conference, including comments on Huddersfield, Kenedy and the mood ahead of tomorrow’s game:
Rafa: "Huddersfield are not a team that will attack all the time as they are well organised & country attack. They are aggressive but patient. Both teams will try to win & it will be interesting to see how we manage them" #nufc
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) March 30, 2018
Rafa on Kenedy's future: "There are a lot of good players doing really well here this year. We have to wait, but if the player is happy that is great. But the decision depends on #cfc too but I hope he can repeat his Southampton performance. Then we will see latee" #nufc
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) March 30, 2018
Rafa Benitez: “It’s always easy to talk before the game. The mood is positive. We have worked tactically and we must make sure we approach the game with the right mentality.” #nufc
— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) March 30, 2018
Rafa: "We talk about the atmosphere before the games. We need to give the fans something to cheer about by starting with a high tempo. Scoring an early goal makes it easier & better for everyone" #nufc
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) March 30, 2018
Rafa: "It's good for everyone that we are back. We had to go to Spain to play a good game & it has been too long since we played because we had momentum but we want to keep that going. The mood is positive & we have been working tactically ahead of this game" #nufc
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) March 30, 2018
