An upset would send the Magpies to the last 16.
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes trained at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s crunch Champions League clash with holders Paris Saint-Germain, but fellow midfielder Joelinton faces weeks on the sideline with a groin injury.
Guimaraes missed Sunday’s 2-0 home Premier League loss to Aston Villa with an ankle injury he suffered in the 3-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in the Magpies’ final league phase home game in the Champions League.
That victory ensured Newcastle will feature in the knockout rounds and will likely be seeded in the playoff round if they do not finish in the top eight. However, a surprise win over PSG would seal a top-eight finish and send Newcastle straight into the last 16.
Having Guimaraes available would be a huge boost to Newcastle’s hopes of upsetting the odds, with his potential speedy return from injury made all the more important by Joelinton’s latest setback.
Speaking before Newcastle trained in Paris, manager Eddie Howe said: “Joe won’t make the game, he has had a scan, we don’t think it is a bad injury, but we think he will be out for a few weeks. He will miss a few games. Our other Brazilian, Bruno, is with us, and we will know more in the next few hours.”
Howe urges Newcastle to rise to challenge
Newcastle have struggled away from home in the Premier League, their only wins coming against Everton and Burnley. In the Champions League, it has been a mixed bag, with a victory at Union Saint-Gilloise followed up by a defeat to Marseille and a draw with Bayer Leverkusen, in which they conceded an 88th-minute equaliser.
Howe’s men were denied a potentially crucial victory at PSG in the group stage of the Champions League in 2023, when a highly dubious handball decision against Tino Livramento saw the hosts given a late penalty, which Kylian Mbappe converted to earn a 1-1 draw. Newcastle were subsequently knocked out with a home defeat to AC Milan.
Asked about his memories from the game, Howe said: “Memories coming back into the stadium, it was a good night for us, a great test for our development as a team at that time, we hung in there and protected our lead for so long. I was very proud of the performance overall.
“The bigger the game, the harder the challenge, the more you must rise to it. There have been several questions asked about our away form, to handle pressure, to be resilient.
“This will be a really good game to try and answer some questions and be effective in every environment that we play. We will set up the team to do that and then will need them to play at their maximum.”
Gordon answers critics
Winger Anthony Gordon has excelled in the Champions League this season, scoring six goals and providing two assists. However, he has not scored from open play domestically this campaign, leading to criticism of his performances in the Premier League.
“I know I’m doing the right things every day,” Gordon said. “I try to do the right things whether I’m flying or not doing the best. I’m playing against right-backs who are elite themselves. They get paid quite well to stop me.
“Part of trying to be great is learning to take people’s opinions. If you can’t you can never be great.”
Gordon is relishing the opportunity to excel against the team that conquered the Champions League for the first time last season.
He added of facing Luis Enrique’s men: “You’re facing the European champions, like we are tomorrow; you’re playing all the best players, the best managers, the travelling… it’s just the biggest and the best.”
In addition to Guimaraes, winger Jacob Murphy was also seen in training for Newcastle. Murphy has missed Newcastle’s last three games with a hamstring issue.
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