Eddie Howe says teenager ready for defining UCL fixture

With Newcastle United’s injury list growing and one of the most important fixtures in the club’s history coming on Tuesday, manager Eddie Howe is convinced that a 17-year-old youngster can play a huge part in what he has tagged a defining moment” of the Magpies’ Champions League campaign, 

Newcastle United travel to Paris to face PSG in the second leg of a fixture in which Newcastle United won 4-1 in the first leg at St James’ Park. Although the team prepped up for the travel with an impressive 4-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday in the Premier League, it’s only a cosmetic cover over the team’s fitness issues.

Newcastle’s injury list is lengthy, with Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson, Harvey Barnes, and Callum Wilson all in doubt for Tuesday’s fixture. Joe Willock is seeing a specialist, while Sean Longstaff did not travel with the team, allowing 17-year-old Lewis Miley to feature on Tuesday, especially after impressing on Saturday.

Miley provided the assist for Alexander Isak’s opener in the game, and Howe thinks he is ready despite being a game that the manager says will need 100% energy.

“We will need every ounce of energy to get a result. This is a defining moment in our Champions League campaign; we are going to give it everything. It is imperative we don’t lose. I think he is ready. He has a great temperament for these occasions. The thing I loved about him after the game on Saturday, it was just another game for him. That is how he will need to approach this one.” Howe said.

Newcastle United must avoid defeat at all costs on Tuesday after consecutive losses to Borussia Dortmund home and away in the last two fixtures.

The Magpies go into the game needing to avoid defeat as they sit at the bottom of Group F, which has PSG and AC Milan.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu