"We will see" Eddie Howe says £60m forward could make the Newcastle lineup vs Chelsea

As Eddie Howe turns his attention from the Premier League to the EFL Cup quarterfinal, he has some Newcastle lineup issues to address. We have already had a go at dissecting a predicted Newcastle lineup vs Chelsea but admittedly, it is difficult when you factor in our growing injury crisis.

One player who didn't feature in our predicted Newcastle lineup is Alexander Isak. This is purely because the English tabloids are still claiming he's a doubt and reports have suggested it's a race against time to see if he's fit for the quarterfinal, so I guess we will know more soon.

Providing some clarity on the situation is manager Eddie Howe. Although he is unable to say for definite whether or not the Swedish striker is available and ready to play in this game, he has at least provided a little more on his recovery stance.

"We will see" Eddie Howe says £60m forward could make the Newcastle lineup vs Chelsea

Speaking in a press conference, Eddie Howe has confirmed there's a chance that Alexander Isak could feature in this match, but that we will have to wait and see as he's still not been given the all-clear by the medical team.

"“Alex [Isak] has a problem with his groin, he had a scan last week, it is not a big problem. It is minor, probably more fatigue than anything. It is enough for us to need to monitor him and be careful with him. He has a chance for Chelsea but we will see.“"

- Eddie Howe

While this feels like a non-update and certainly doesn't help anyone gage whether or not Isak will start against Chelsea in midweek, it does provide a big update on the state of the injury crisis and it can be taken as good news alongside other Newcastle injury news doing the rounds today. Nobody is denying that we have a lot of players injured, but at least many are returning and the ones that are out, won't be out for much longer.

What's your strongest Newcastle lineup vs Chelsea?