Wolverhampton vs. Newcastle - Eddie Howe: Pre-Match Press Conference

Newcastle United will look to rebound from their first Champions League defeat suffered earlier this week as they visit Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday’s matchup.

Despite a midweek 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle’s recent 4-0 trouncing of Crystal Palace kept a five-game unbeaten streak alive and the Magpies will try to keep building on that strong league run away from St James’ Park on MD10 of the EPL.

Wolves, currently unbeaten in three league matches and sitting comfortably in 12th place, already beat Man City back on the last day of September, and might be a tough challenge to overcome by Eddie Howe and the lads.

Newcastle is sitting sixth in the Premier League table boasting an impressive +15 goal difference boosted by the demolition of Bournemouth a few weeks ago. However, their recent away form SJP has raised questions, with only one victory in their last six Premier League matches played on the road—coincidentally, the 8-0 beating of AFCB.

Wolves are expected to welcome back Mario Lemina and Nelson Semedo from suspension, and Newcastle is going to miss (most probably) the injured Alexander Isak, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, and Sven Botman. Howe said in his pre-game presser that Sandro Tonali is still available to play as he awaits confirmation of a 10-month ban for illegal betting, although he might still get relegated to the bench so the Magpies avoid any potential trouble with football authorities.

Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.com

On Wolves, who beat reigning champions Manchester City at the start of their promising run last month...

“Gary O’Neil has done a great job - it was a big task for him going in there. He has done well, the wins against Manchester City and Bournemouth were good results.

“They have some really dangerous players. We will have to be alert and recover very quickly from Wednesday night.”

On Willock’s return to action after six months out with injury...

“(It’s) huge for us. It has been a long time. Joe is an infectious character, very popular around the training ground. He has the goalscoring and running capabilities that suit our style. It’s early days, but hopefully he can get that match sharpness back.”

On the injuries suffered by Isak and Murphy against Dortmund...

“Alexander Isak’s got a groin injury, which we don’t think is serious. It is a reoccurrence of the one he suffered for Sweden.

“Jacob is going to see a specialist today for his shoulder. We’ll know more about him later today.

“We are a bit light in attacking areas. We have a deeper squad this season, but if you get injuries in certain areas then suddenly you can look a bit stretched.”

On fullback Matt Targett, who appeared as a substitute in midweek...

“Matt was a regular player for us. He’d done really well in our fight to stay in the Premier League. Then he got ill before that Fulham game. We won that game and performed really well as a team, so I stuck with that team. We went on a winning run and it made it difficult for him to get his place back, and Dan (Burn) in his position has been a model of consistency. They are very different players.

“I rate Matt very highly - I really do. It’s great to see him come in and do so well. I think he made a positive impact on the team’s performance on Wednesday.”

On Sandro Tonali’s availability...

“We haven’t had any official confirmation yet. We haven’t heard anything from the Italian authorities at the moment. There is a high chance that he could be available for us at Wolves.

“His mood is the same, he is good around the group and the training ground. We will have to see what happens. We are preparing as if he is fit and ready to play. He will be traveling with us.”

Howay!

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 28th
• Kick-off: 17:30 BST / 12:30 EST
• Location: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton (England)