Bilbao's £80m danger man at risk of missing Newcastle United clash - Report

Momentarily looking away from our poor Premier League campaign so far, our ongoing Champions League efforts are going incredibly well by comparison.

Narrowly losing out against Barcelona was followed by two huge wins against Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica, leaving us 8th and currently in the automatic places to qualify for the last 16.

And ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Athletic Bilbao at St James’ Park, we could be handed quite the boost if reports in Spain are to be believed.

Bilbao's best player a doubt?

According to MARCA, Nico Williams is a doubt for Athletic Bilbao's trip to Tyneside as he struggles with a hernia issue.

The 23-year-old left winger is thought to be 'playing with discomfort' and may need surgery to fix the issue, creating uncertainty over tomorrow's game after he was only fit enough for the bench in Bilbao's 3-2 loss at Real Sociedad over the weekend.

It looks to be a growing injury concern amongst La Liga’s biggest clubs, as Barcelona ace Yamine Lamal and Real Madrid star Franco Mastantuono have both been recently diagnosed with a similar pubalgia condition.

A specialist has been consulted by Bilbao, and it’s looking like Williams could miss between two to three months of the season if he undergoes surgery.

Williams has long been considered the Basque side's star player, is a regular for Spain and has been linked with a move to the Premier League, only for some to be put off my the £80m buyout clause in his new Bilbao contract.

La Liga side struggling

Having enjoyed a great season in La Liga last campaign, things haven’t been all smooth sailing for Ernesto Valverde’s side.

They have so far scored the fourth fewest goals in the division, and sit in 11th place having lost five of their last eight.

Their Champions League form has also left a lot to be desired for the former Europa League winners: opening the league phase with losses to Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, they were able to slightly bounce back with a 3-1 win over minnows Qarabag.

Their current away record also rivals our own paltry run of form away from St James’ Park, with ten losses from their last 12 in all competitions.

With Inaki Williams also out, Oihan Sancet may be their main man to watch in attack, but Eddie Howe and the lads should be looking at their next game as an opportunity to show we really mean business in European football this season.