Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe decided to keep his cards close to his chest when discussing which players could return from injury for Saturday's Premier League clash with Chelsea.
A depleted Magpies squad suffered back-to-back 2-0 defeats against Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth before the international break, and they are still down to their bare bones heading into the festive period.
Newcastle are set to be without at least eight players this weekend due to injury, with Sven Botman (knee), Callum Wilson, Matt Targett (both hamstring), Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson (both back), Harvey Barnes (foot), Jacob Murphy (shoulder) and Javi Manquillo (groin) all facing lengthy spells on the sidelines.
"I don't want to give too much away." Howe said at a press conference on Friday. "I think the majority of players we've spoken about previously are longer-term injuries.
"We're looking at probably January for a few of them. There's a couple of others who sooner, we hope, they can be back involved and help us through December."
Specifically discussing Botman, who could allegedly be sidelined for a few months if he requires surgery on his knee issue, Howe said: "We know what his injury is, but we're unsure at this moment in time how long Sven is going to be out.
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"We're hoping it's not going to be too long. We're hoping he can rejoin the group pretty quickly, but there is a chance that might not happen so we're keeping everything crossed."
The international break has provided some players with recovery time ahead of the return to Premier League action, but it remains to be seen exactly how many Newcastle stars will be fit to face Chelsea at St James' Park this weekend.
Howe has confirmed that Sean Longstaff will have his ankle problem assessed ahead of kickoff, but he refused to reveal whether Alexander Isak (groin) would be available for Saturday and instead stated that the striker must have his minutes managed carefully.
"We have to be sensible with what we ask [Isak] to do," said Howe. "He's hugely important to us but we want him on the pitch. So that's going to be important.
"We've seen the best of him but the best is yet to come. Games like Tottenham last season we saw him at his best. He will be disappointed with his last injury. It was him trying to score his hat-trick against West Ham."
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However, Howe has confirmed that Fabian Schar and Miguel Almiron are both fit to feature against Chelsea after recovering from respective hamstring and thigh injuries sustained in the aforementioned loss to Bournemouth.
"Fabian (Schar) was more precautionary rather than any injury – we saw him yesterday, he seemed good," Howe added. "Miggy (Almiron) has worked really well over the international break since his hamstring. We've had a very small squad. Players came back yesterday, so good to see the group back together. We're ready for the game."
Meanwhile, the Magpies boss has also confirmed that Kieran Trippier is available for selection after withdrawing from the England squad earlier this week for personal reasons, saying: "Kieran is fine – he has trained with us since his return from England."
In addition, Newcastle are able to welcome back Bruno Guimaraes from a one-match suspension, but the Magpies will be without Lewis Hall as he is ineligible to face his parent club Chelsea, while Sandro Tonali is serving his 10-month ban for breaching betting rules.
Howe's side currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, six points behind the top four and four points above Saturday's opponents Chelsea in 10th place.
Oliver Thomas
