Newcastle have at least six absences from their typical first-team squad as they prepare to face Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend. Both sides have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks as part of a tight fixture schedule.
The Gunners have had a good start to the Premier League, being unblemished and in the early stages of the title race. They have also returned to the Champions League, where they now lead the group after two wins and one loss.
While fighting on all fronts, Mikel Arteta’s next task will be to progress in the Carabao Cup, with West Ham their next clash on Wednesday night. All of those games have naturally brought up questions surrounding fatigue and the possibility of increased injury risk.
Recent absences for Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, and Martin Odegaard have only shown how fast a fit squad can be without vital players. Newcastle’s scenario is similar, as they prepare for a quick turnaround to face the Gunners soon.
Eddie Howe has led Newcastle United back to the Champions League while simultaneously managing expectations in the league and cup tournaments. However, with a far smaller team than some of their top rivals, managing fitness has been even more difficult.
The manager hasn’t been helped by the fact that summer signing Sandro Tonali won’t be available for the rest of the season after receiving a ban for previous betting charges. On top of that there’s a new issue for Sven Botman as the defender has suffered a knee injury.
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