Eddie Howe hopes to have key Newcastle pair fit for Tottenham clash after international withdrawals

Eddie Howe says Newcastle United duo Fabian Schar and Martin Dubravka could still face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. Both suffered from issues during the international break with Slovakia and Switzerland but Howe is going to run the rule over the pair today.

Schar and Dubravka have been a big part of Newcastle’s revival this season and Howe is keen to have them involved this weekend. Speaking at a packed Press conference he told the media: “Fabian came back having not played or trained. But we’ve had a couple of sessions with him so we think he will be fit. Martin trained with us for the first time yesterday.”

Schar had been suffering with an abductor problem while Dubravka had a tonsillitis issue. Howe also stated that some players have illnesses at the moment with Jonjo Shelvey missing recent matches before the break.

He said: “We have illness in the camp like most teams have around the country. We still have a couple of days before the game so we hope to have everyone fit. Jonjo has trained not every session. He had a bad bout of illness and should be OK.”