Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United head coach, is braced for a stern challenge as his side take on Bayer Leverkusen. The German side sit just one point behind United in the group stage and currently occupy fourth place in the Bundesliga, though they trail leaders Bayern Munich by 14 points.
Newcastle travel to the BayArena aiming to strengthen their progression hopes, after collecting three wins from five in this competition so far this season.
Howe expects Leverkusen, under Kasper Hjulmand, to provide robust opposition and believes the midweek clash will serve as a valuable barometer for Newcastle’s form amid a busy spell of fixtures.
Howe spoke to reporters at the BayArena on Tuesday afternoon. Here are the key takeaways from his pre-match briefing:
On Bayer Leverkusen...
"Leverkusen are an exceptional side, faithful to their identity. This will be another test to gauge how far we have come and how far we still must go."
On team selection ahead of the Tyne–Wear derby on Sunday...
"We’ll field a side that is strong for tomorrow and also competitive for Sunday. We’ve got backline injuries to contend with, which has been the case for several games now. We don’t necessarily have great depth at the moment, but we arrive here with a robust squad and we’re prepared for both matches this week."
On Yoane Wissa, who debuted for the Magpies in the win over Burnley on Saturday...
"He looks positive; his body language is excellent. He benefited from his late introduction and is ready to contribute more minutes. The challenge now is the tight turnaround between games, which we must manage carefully. He showed the quality we’ve seen in his twenty minutes and will only improve with more game time."
On a demanding week ahead...
"It’s been a remarkably busy period. We finished Saturday’s match and immediately turned attention to the next one. We’re packing a lot into a short span, but we’re energized by the challenge. This will be a tough fixture for us."
