The Magpies face the Ligue 1 outfit at the Stade Vélodrome, targeting a fourth Champions League victory in a row after successes against Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica and Athletic Club whilst scoring nine goals and recording three consecutive clean sheets in the process.
Howe, who recorded his 100th win as Newcastle head coach following Saturday’s 2-1 win against Manchester City, has been welcomed by the return of Gordon, who has scored four Champions League goals so far this season, as well as Dan Burn, who returns from a one-match suspension, as United aim to take a major step towards reaching the competition’s knockout phase.
Here are some of the boss’ main talking points from Tuesday afternoon’s pre-match media briefing…
On team-news…
“We are good, boosted by the result against Manchester City. Team news wise, we are similar; we welcome back Dan Burn from suspension, Anthony Gordon and Emil Krafth have travelled with us [but] Kieran Trippier hasn’t.”
On Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall’s availability to face OM, with the full-back pair both making their first starts for United since September…
“That’s a decision that I have to make. I have to consult the medical and sports science team to try and come up with the right decisions regarding both of those players.
“They’re so important for us, as you saw on Saturday, that their longer term fitness is crucial for us, especially with Kieran’s injury. We’re not sure how long he’ll be out so that leaves us short of options in the full-back positions.
“It’s a decision for me to make overnight, and into tomorrow, to try and pick the best team to win this game but also protect them.”
On team selection and squad rotation:
“I’ve said many times this season, trusting the squad is really important. We have some very good players who will be desperate to play.
“We have the depth to play these games. Playing the same players in every game will not help us achieve our objectives but every game and challenge is different and certain games suit certain games.”
On looking forward to the challenge:
“We are very much in the thick of the Champions League. We just have to try and win each game and this will be a difficult game in a testing environment for us.
“The stadium is incredible, a great place to play football and I’m sure the atmosphere will be red hot. All these things, for me, are positive but we need that to make our performance stronger.”
On preparations ahead of Tuesday’s test:
“The Champions League games are different to Premier League games. We’re always changing and tweaking things as we said before Manchester City.
“We have travelled early; we will train at the stadium. Tomorrow, our preparation will be slightly different but try and keep the players mentally engaged. The most important decisions we have to make are how we play and then how the players implement that plan.
“The midfield battle will be key for us; we need to do well technically with the ball. This will be a really tough game for us, we feel we can rise to the challenge.”
