Sandro Tonali could make an early return to Newcastle's big boost ahead of Sunderland
In what is a crucial Tyne-Wear derby for Newcastle United, Eddie Howe may welcome an injured star back to his team sooner than expected.
Newcastle must be “mentally” ready to face Sunderland
There is no easy way to prepare for a local derby, but being humiliated 7-2 by Barcelona a few days ago is a no-brainer. Any confidence Newcastle gained in the first leg of the draw was ruthlessly snuffed out by the Spanish giants, who gave the Magpies a brutal reality check at the Nou Camp.
Going from that to facing Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby is a daunting task, to say the least, but Howe has called for his side to be “mentally ready” at St James' Park.
“Now it's about Sunderland, it's not about what happened, it's about learning from it and improving and changing if needed.
“It's about the next game and making sure we're mentally ready, physically ready for what's going to be a big game for us and the whole city, so I think that's the best game for us to go into because there's no time for any other thought than that.”
Of course, if Newcastle put that defeat aside, they should be able to reflect on what was good in a few weeks. In incredibly tough games, they beat Chelsea and Manchester United, while drawing at home to Barcelona.
There is plenty of room for optimism ahead of the derby and there should be a sense of revenge after the defeat at the Stadium of Light earlier this season.
As for the team itself, the Magpies have already been given a number of injury upgrades. They will go into Sunday's game and could be dealing with at least one star from injury.
Howe has a knack for increasing Newcastle's injuries four times
Before the derby, Howe confirmed that Sandro Tonali could return to action sooner than expected after his injury against Barcelona was not as bad as initially feared. The Italian limped off at the Nou Camp, but is now facing a recent call-up to play for the Black Cats.
It's not the end of the injury, either. The Newcastle boss also confirmed that he expects Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar and Lewis Miley to return after the upcoming international break.
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He told reporters: “We will wait and see (for Tonali). Maybe it is not as bad as he was feared at the beginning as he was leaving the field. We will see how he is today and then we will make a decision closer to the game.
“(Miley) will be after the international games, hopefully after the break. If you compare the fingers it will be like Bruno and Fab (Schär).”
Given that they already don't have Guimaraes, Tonali's presence could be very important against Sunderland. There is a good reason why he has reportedly attracted Arsenal as of late and the big stage has once again awaited the midfielder.
If there is any way to prove his loyalty to the Magpies, it would be by winning the midfield battle and getting revenge against Sunderland this weekend.
