Moyes selection surprise
I suspect David Moyes might not be entirely truthful with the latest update on Michail Antonio’s fitness. Whilst it may be accurate that Antonio likely had a minor injury for the Europa League game against Freiburg, Moyes has a track record of ‘playing possum’ with injury updates. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if Antonio ends up featuring against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle team in the Premier League fixture.
The team played well enough in Germany with Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus often switching roles. However, the Irons gaffer will be keen to reinstate Antonio if he passes his fitness test. It’s worth pointing out that the forward won’t have become unfit in a matter of days. It’s just whether the medical team feel he’s not at risk from further injury.
David Moyes may produce a selection surprise
Moyes said, “I will need to see if Michail is available. He’s not trained yet. He has done some running with the medical team, so over the next couple of days, we will see if he is able to play.”
Newcastle are also in a similar position, making a late decision on Antonio’s podcast co-host, Callum Wilson. Wilson, who has an annoyingly impressive track record with 12 goals in his last 13 Premier League fixtures against West Ham. He has missed recent matches due to hamstring tightness against Manchester City, Burnley, and Paris Saint-Germain.
During his last visit to the London Stadium, the 31-year-old Wilson scored twice as Newcastle thumped us in a 5-1 win. Another player who made a notable impact that night was Joelinton, who also faces a last-minute fitness assessment.