da bet sport： Miguel Almiron was ruled out of the trip to Burnley through injury last week and it is 50/50 as to whether he will be fit in time for the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
What’s the latest?
da doce： The Paraguay international missed last week’s encounter due to a hamstring injury he picked up late on Friday in pre-match training.
Newcastle will have to monitor him carefully due to the nature of his injury, which often occurs when quick players like Almiron are running at full pace – that is also exactly what happened to Allan Saint-Maximin against Southampton.
The Frenchman is out for approximately a month and therefore the club must ensure the same doesn’t happen to Almiron. Given Steve Bruce has doubts about him being fit to play on Saturday, it is probably for the best if he sat out once again.
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Big miss
Newcastle missed several key players against the Clarets last time out and they didn’t look like the same team which has picked up some impressive results in recent weeks.
The main reason for that was the noticeable lack of pace and energy on the wings, which had been Newcastle’s primary avenue to create chances.
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Saint-Maximin has been hugely impressive lately but Almiron was missed too, as he provides a threat in behind defences which stretches the game and allows the Magpies’ wing-backs to get further forward.
Newcastle lacked that against Burnley which resulted in them having no shots on target, and Bruce may fear that the same could occur if the 25-year-old fails to get fully fit ahead of the weekend.
There is little point risking him worsening his injury, as although Christian Atsu is good enough to replace Saint-Maximin, playing Joelinton on the wing doesn’t suit either the player or the team.
Allowing him to rest and make a big impact on his return during the festive period could be a big advantage for the Magpies against tired legs, and that means Bruce may have to sacrifice his chances of a win in one more game to favour the long-term.
Almiron wasn’t the only injury miss against Burnley, and the absence of another midfielder contributed to their loss, though he is more likely to return against Crystal Palace.