Heading into his second Champions League campaign as Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe will have to make some big decisions and produce some even bigger performances if we’re to go straight through to the knockout stages.
Wanting to bounce back from the disappointment of the 2023/24 campaign, as well as the tense loss to Barcelona on Matchday 1, in-form Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise will be a fascinating test for Howe and the team tonight.
And with a busy October ahead, including Benfica coming to St James’ Park, Spurs in the Carabao Cup, and some must-win games in the Premier League, a win on Wednesday night could be the catalyst for a successful month to come.
Here’s what Howe had to say ahead of the trip to Brussels when speaking to the media yesterday.
Howe on team news and preparations
With the exception of Tino Livramento, Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa, Eddie Howe has a full squad of players to choose from for Wednesday’s game.
But having only played Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, and with the game at home to Nottingham Forest just around the corner, Howe will be wanting to manage his players’ minutes well.
“We will make a decision after training on how the players look physically. Arsenal was a big test for us, physically and mentally. We will try and make the right decision in terms of team selection to make sure everyone is fresh.”
“The squad is in a good place, minus Tino [Livramento], still awaiting feedback on the extent of his injury but other than that we are okay. Fabian [Schär] is back in the squad.”
The lads trained at Anderlecht’s Lotto Stadium on Tuesday, which Howe felt was an important exercise in getting the team accustomed to the conditions in Belgium.
“We felt coming here, getting to know our surroundings was very important. Getting to know the pitch and the stadium, get settled, and hopefully that will help our performance tomorrow.”
How on Nick Woltemade
Having controversially missed out on starting against Barcelona, it would be a huge shock if Nick Woltemade doesn’t make the starting XI for Wednesday’s game.
With two goals in three starts since signing from Stuttgart, Woltemade has looked like our most potent goalscoring threat every time he’s touched the ball, with Howe being very impressed with what the young German has shown so far.
“Great to see him score with his head, he is a big player, that has to be a source of goals for him, two headers so far, two outstanding moments, he’s made a positive start.”
Howe on Union SG
“They have started the season very strongly; they had a good result against PSV. Tactically, they are interesting, and they will give us a physical threat with two big strikers.“We know it will be an important game on our Champions League journey, but a tough one. This will be a good challenge for us at a time in the season where we need to perform.”
