Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe has confirmed that he will rest Alexander Isak against Bromley in the FA Cup Third Round. Daniel Wales reports.
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00:00A tech spook away performance at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night has given Newcastle
00:06United the perfect opportunity to reach the final of this season's Carabao Cup.
00:11The 2-0 win highlighted the significant progress that the Magpies have made in the last month
00:16in terms of both performances and overall form.
00:22Having gone 2-0 up early in the second half, Howe elected to dig in for the result and
00:27that has given them the advantage heading into the second leg in February.
00:30With that challenge accomplished, an encounter in the FA Cup is next for Eddie Howe's side
00:35as they welcome Bromley to St James' Park on Sunday afternoon.
00:40Ahead of the game, Howe confirmed that in-form striker Alexander Isak would not feature in
00:46the match to give him the opportunity to rest and recover from muscle tightness picked up
00:50during the win at the Emirates, and instead will give opportunities to some of the squad's
00:56fringe players to shine at St James' Park.
01:01It was always in Howe's plans to rotate in this fixture.
01:03He made clear, stating that players who are currently desperate to play and showcase their
01:07qualities will get their chance this weekend, but tempered caution, making clear that progressing
01:12in the FA Cup is a must despite the different players getting their chance in the starting
01:17XI.
01:19Howe added that Isak was supposed to feature in some way against Bromley, but now will
01:25spend time with a physio to make sure he's in the best possible condition for Premier
01:29League fixtures against Wolves and Bournemouth to come next week, both of which are also
01:33at St James' Park on Wednesday and then Saturday.
01:40The other big talking point was the future of Martin Dabravka, who has been linked to
01:44a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Shabaab in the last week.
01:48Following the win against Arsenal, Dabravka appeared to say a tearful goodbye to the travelling
01:52Newcastle fans, but Howe is still keen to keep the Slovakian shot-stopper on Tyneside.
01:59Howe stated that Dabravka has been in a difficult position due to his contract expiring in the
02:04summer, adding that he will want clarity over his future.
02:08Dabravka, however, has been instrumental in Newcastle's recent upturn in form, since he
02:13has deputised for the injured Nick Pope in goal, hence Howe's reluctance to let him leave.
02:20Howe is certainly hoping for an agreement to be reached with Dabravka, with Nick Pope
02:25not yet ready to return to action.
02:27Howe outlined that Pope is not far away, but has not yet trained with the group, instead
02:32only participating in one-on-one drills, with his knee not yet strong enough to play in
02:36competitive fixtures.
02:41Also on the injury front, Howe spoke on Callum Wilson, who he said was making good progress
02:46in his return from another setback.
02:48Howe revealed that Wilson was back training on grass, and the coaches have been pleased
02:53with his recovery.
02:54Howe said that they are hoping to see him back in contention by February.