Eddie Howe: Tonali and Pope can play, Visa is definitely absent, Gordon is still uncertain

November 19th, Newcastle United will face Manchester City at home this Sunday. Coach Eddie Howe talked about the team's injuries in an interview with the BBC.

Eddie Howe said: "Our situation is a bit complicated. Gordon's situation is still uncertain and his match against Manchester City is still unknown. Tonali should be fine. Pope has a concussion, but he has passed the protocol, so he should be fine too, but we still have some players who need to recover. Liveramento and Hall is still in the adaptation stage, although Hall has had several good performances. Visa is still absent, but we have begun to increase his training volume, so overall our situation has improved."

Newcastle was ranked 14th in the league before the international break, and they had not won an away game at the beginning of the season. They are sixth in the Champions League group stage and will host Fulham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals next month, but Eddie Howie admits his side's league form needs to improve significantly.

"It's hard to say because it's not all bad, we're not doing well in the Premier League, we're not doing well away from home, but we're strong at home, we're doing well in the Champions League and we're in the League Cup. So our situation is mixed and it's hard to pinpoint a specific one. Problem, but we know that the overall performance needs to improve. We need more stability, more goals, and a big response is really needed now."

Newcastle will face a dense schedule in the next two months, and they cannot let any negative trends continue. The series begins on Saturday against Manchester City, who have found form in recent weeks, beating Borussia Dortmund 4-1 before the international break and beating Liverpool 3-0 in the Premier League.

Newcastle face a difficult task after the resumption, but they have only lost one of their past four home games against Manchester City, and Eddie Howe hopes that the team can usher in a turning point in the season in the weekend's game.

"It will be the perfect start, but we are facing the most consistent team in the Premier League in the last five to ten years. I think they have been performing well, so for me, the game against Manchester City is the biggest test and hopefully it will bring out the best in us. We will definitely prepare for this game and we have enough time to reflect on the last performance and hope to see a positive response."