Eddie Howe set for double boost as Newcastle enter final 10 games of 2024/25 - Report
After our cup final heroics are celebrated this weekend, Newcastle will head into next week focused on Brentford and a strong end to the 2024/25 Premier League season with 10 games left to go.
The importance of our win over West Ham was possibly overlooked in the approach to the cup final, but the 1-0 victory ended our six-game run without a clean sheet and will hopefully be our springboard towards a top five finish.
Every point matters in the run-in as we look to make it a dream season and earn a spot in the tightly-contested Champions League spots, and Eddie Howe has been handed a boost with the latest Newcastle United injury news.
Toon set for double boost
In his latest piece for the i, Mark Douglas has offered a positive update on the fitness of Newcastle United duo Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon.
Botman is making good progress after his knee operation earlier this month and may be scheduled for a return before his initial eight-week prognosis, suggesting he could feature before the start of May.
The pros and cons of an early return have to be considered, though. Playing when not 100% fit has been a massive factor in the Dutchman’s stunted gametime and development after several spells on the sideline in the last couple of seasons.
We have to be careful with the 25-year-old, who has to overcome recent knee issues after two operations in the space of 12 months, although it is positive to hear he's making good progress.
Gordon will not be involved against Brentford as he completes the third game of his three-match ban received for violent conduct against Brighton in the FA Cup fifth round - but he'll be back soon.
The winger limped off against Albania on international duty after a nasty blow to his hip. However, Douglas reports his absence is not “expected to be significant”, with the 24-year-old expected to be fine for our trip to Leicester a week on Monday.
Final 10 games; one big push for a top five finish!
Newcastle must use the Carabao Cup victory as a catalyst to make this historic season even better with a push for Champions League football.
Winning at Wembley has guaranteed European football at St. James’ Park in 2025/26 with Conference League football at the least coming to the North East.
However, a top five finish would be massive, not only securing a return to Europe's elite competition, but helping retain our top players, attract summer targets and secure increasingly lucrative commercial deals.
In that same piece for the i, Douglas reports that Newcastle have a number of 'ambitious' targets - such as Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen - who are eager to play Champions League football next season, highlighting the importance of a strong finish.
Fixtures against Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal that precede Everton on the final day may well be the trio that ultimately decide our season, but we can get off to a strong start facing four sides in the bottom half in Brentford, Leicester, Man Utd, Crystal Palace.
It's a big ask, but 12 points over this run of winnable games and we could be in pole position heading into the final weeks of 2024/25.
