Newcastle United’s veteran stopper Martin Dubravka has been placed on standby for today’s clash with Leicester City in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe will make a late call on who replaces Nick Pope against the Foxes after the England international suffered a knee injury this week. But Dubravka, who will be 36 in January, was hoping to get the nod between the posts against the newly promoted side.
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Dubravka played 30 times for Newcastle last season in all competitions and kept eight clean sheets. Howe’s other options are Odysseas Vlachodimos or 38-year-old John Ruddy as Pope faces up to a month out.
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When asked if the fact Howe had a wealth or options if Pope did not make the Leicester game, the head coach told Chronicle Live: “We have a very strong unit. They are a good experienced team of goalkeepers.
“You look at the experience behind Nick which is a great thing for us to utilise. So let’s see what happens with Nick today. We back all the goalkeepers we have.”
Pope’s injury was sustained against Brentford and the ex-Burnley stopper has not trained since, Howe added: “He’s carried a knee injury this week. Initially we thought it was nothing.”
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Meanwhile, Howe has altered his stance slightly on Sven Botman’s return date and has now mentioned he could play against this month. Howe had stated he expected Botman to return in early 2025 but he is now open to a possible comeback in December.
Speaking about the Dutchman – who last featured in March – Howe said: “He’s been training consistently now for around four weeks but that was the plan,” he said.
“We are taking medical advice and trying to follow the right protocols for the injury he’s had to try and make sure we give him the best chance to stay fit. The plan is late December or early January, at the earliest, he will be available for us.”
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Newcastle United’s veteran stopper Martin Dubravka has been placed on standby for today’s clash with Leicester City in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe will make a late call on who replaces Nick Pope against the Foxes after the England international suffered a knee injury this week. But Dubravka, who will be 36 in January, was hoping to get the nod between the posts against the newly promoted side.
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Dubravka played 30 times for Newcastle last season in all competitions and kept eight clean sheets. Howe’s other options are Odysseas Vlachodimos or 38-year-old John Ruddy as Pope faces up to a month out.
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When asked if the fact Howe had a wealth or options if Pope did not make the Leicester game, the head coach told Chronicle Live: “We have a very strong unit. They are a good experienced team of goalkeepers.
“You look at the experience behind Nick which is a great thing for us to utilise. So let’s see what happens with Nick today. We back all the goalkeepers we have.”
Pope’s injury was sustained against Brentford and the ex-Burnley stopper has not trained since, Howe added: “He’s carried a knee injury this week. Initially we thought it was nothing.”
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Meanwhile, Howe has altered his stance slightly on Sven Botman’s return date and has now mentioned he could play against this month. Howe had stated he expected Botman to return in early 2025 but he is now open to a possible comeback in December.
Speaking about the Dutchman – who last featured in March – Howe said: “He’s been training consistently now for around four weeks but that was the plan,” he said.
“We are taking medical advice and trying to follow the right protocols for the injury he’s had to try and make sure we give him the best chance to stay fit. The plan is late December or early January, at the earliest, he will be available for us.”
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
