In-form Newcastle United star ruled out v Man City – plus key Nick Woltemade & Tino Livramento updates

Newcastle United are expected to receive a timely boost ahead of their upcoming cup clash, with forward Nick Woltemade closing in on a return after missing the midweek victory over Manchester United due to illness.

The Magpies secured an impressive 2–1 win on Wednesday night, but Woltemade was absent from the squad after falling sick in the days following Newcastle’s narrow 3–2 defeat to Everton at St James’ Park last weekend. The illness forced the German forward to miss several training sessions and left him short of full match fitness.

However, the situation now appears to be improving. Woltemade has begun returning to training activities and could be involved when Newcastle host Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm. While the forward is unlikely to start due to his recent absence from the squad, there is growing optimism that he could at least feature on the substitutes’ bench and potentially play a role later in the game.

Woltemade recovering after illness

Speaking ahead of the match, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe provided an encouraging update on Woltemade’s condition. The coach explained that the forward had been significantly affected by illness, which caused him to lose weight and prevented him from eating properly for several days.

Despite those setbacks, Howe revealed that the player had started light training on his own and responded well to the workload.

“Nick should be okay,” Howe said when asked about the striker’s availability. “He had an illness and lost a little bit of weight and didn’t eat for a few days, so we had to be careful with him and manage his recovery properly. But he trained individually yesterday and felt good, which is definitely a positive sign.”

Livramento nearing comeback after long layoff

There could also be encouraging news regarding defender Tino Livramento, who has been sidelined for around two months with a hamstring injury. Although the right-back had not yet rejoined full first-team training by the time Howe addressed the media, the Newcastle boss suggested the player is close to making his comeback.

“He’s getting there,” Howe explained. “We just have to wait and see. He hasn’t trained fully with the squad yet, but we’re hopeful that he’ll be able to do that very soon.”

Howe added that Livramento has been working extremely hard behind the scenes to rebuild his fitness during rehabilitation.

“He’s done a lot of work on his conditioning, so physically he’s in a really strong place. His cardiovascular fitness should be very high because he’s been running consistently for quite some time now. The only thing missing is that match-style training with the team.

“He’s spent plenty of time working with our coaches and the medical staff, and from what we’ve seen he’s looked really sharp. I’d say he’s very close to being ready.”

Injury and suspension concerns remain

While Newcastle may welcome back a couple of players, several key figures will still be unavailable for the clash with Manchester City.

Young midfielder Lewis Miley remains sidelined with a persistent leg injury and will not be fit in time for the weekend’s game. Meanwhile, important first-team players such as Bruno Guimarães, Fabian Schär, and Emil Krafth are also continuing their recovery spells and will miss the tie.

Adding to the selection problems, midfielder Jacob Ramsey will serve a suspension following his red card during the recent victory over Manchester United.

FA Cup could offer Newcastle a route back into Europe

With Newcastle currently sitting 12th in the Premier League table and only nine matches left to play this season, the FA Cup could represent their most realistic opportunity to secure European football for next campaign.

Howe’s side have qualified for the UEFA Champions League twice in recent seasons, but they have yet to establish themselves as consistent qualifiers for European competitions. Winning the FA Cup would guarantee continental football and potentially rescue what has otherwise been a challenging league campaign.

When asked whether the cup represents Newcastle’s best route into Europe, Howe admitted it could be a possibility but insisted the team’s focus remains solely on progressing through the competition.

“Possibly, yes,” Howe said. “But our main focus is simply trying to win the game in front of us. Of course there are benefits that come with advancing in competitions, but we can’t think too far ahead.”

The Newcastle boss also acknowledged that his team have been handed one of the toughest possible draws in the round by facing the reigning champions.

“To win a trophy you have to do the hard part, which is getting through these rounds. And this is as difficult as it gets. We’ve probably been given the hardest tie available.”

Howe also addressed previous criticism that he takes domestic cup competitions too seriously, particularly during busy periods of the season.

“I’ve been criticised before for prioritising the cups because people say it gives us too many games,” he admitted. “But when you’re representing this club, you have to approach every competition with the ambition to win it. That’s the attitude we’ll continue to have.”