Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Miley will miss Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie, dealing Eddie Howe a significant double blow as Newcastle prepare for Aston Villa.
Newcastle head into the clash having ended a run of three straight defeats with a 2-1 away win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night. That losing sequence included a 2-0 Premier League loss to Villa at St James’ Park last month.
Captain Guimaraes was forced off late against Spurs with a suspected hamstring injury, having only recently returned from an ankle problem that ruled him out of the previous meeting with Villa.
“I’m not sure, [Guimaraes] is a little bit worried. I think that he’s not sure [because] he said he’s never had a problem with his hamstrings before, so is it cramp? Was it a muscle problem?
“Probably feels more of an injury to me, but let’s wait and see.”
Howe is expected to provide a further update in his pre-match press conference, with the Brazilian also a doubt for next Wednesday’s Champions League fixture against Qarabag FK in Baku.
Teenage midfielder Miley has not featured since the 1-1 Champions League draw away to Paris Saint-Germain and has missed the last four matches.
Initially described as a knee issue, Howe has since clarified the problem as a ‘nasty’ dead leg, with the 19-year-old expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks.
