Howe could now bench Guimaraes & unleash “elegant” Newcastle star

Newcastle United will be hoping they can turn around their form and progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup tonight against Chelsea.

The Magpies have been on a run of bad form of late and have not won any of their last five Premier League games, sitting in 12th in the Premier League.

While they have beaten Southampton, Wolves, and Tottenham Hotspur this term and have two Carabao Cup wins so far, Eddie Howe’s side have not had a good start to the season. The English manager will be hoping that victory over the Blues will help them rediscover their best form.

This, however, will not be an easy task. Enzo Maresca’s side beat them 2-1 just days ago at Stamford Bridge, thanks to goals from Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer, despite an equaliser from Alexander Isak.

With tonight’s game at St James’ Park, it gives the Magpies the chance to get an important win on the board against a side who are high-flyers in the Premier League. Howe might well choose to rotate from the defeat on Sunday, and Bruno Guimaraes could be one player who gets a deserved rest.

Bruno Guimaraes’ season so far

It has been a busy campaign for far for Newcastle midfielder Guimaraes. The Brazilian has featured in every single one of their games so far, captaining the side in each of the Premier League fixtures.

The Brazil international has played 11 games so far this term, including nine in the Premier League, a total of 922 minutes across the campaign in all competitions, the equivalent of 10.2 full 90 minute games. He also has one assist to his name so far.

This term, the midfielder has taken on more defensive responsibility. Last season he was able to play further forward and create chances, but with Sandro Tonali and Joelinton on either side of him, Guimaraes has been tasked with breaking up play in front of the back four.

Although the Carabao Cup is an important competition for Newcastle, given they would love to win a trophy, it might be the perfect time to rest their influential captain.

It is vital to manage a player’s workload, and with the importance the Magpies number 39 has for Howe’s side, they do not want him getting injured. The former Bournemouth boss could turn to youngster Lewis Miley as his replacement.

The player who could replace Guimaraes vs Chelsea

18-year-old midfielder Miley had a breakthrough campaign last term. The youngster featured 26 times in all competitions, scoring once against Fulham, his first professional goal, and grabbing four assists, including three in the Premier League.

Sadly, injury has hampered his game time over the last few months. He first had a back issue at the end of 2023/24, and then a metatarsal problem at the beginning of this season. However, he has been on the bench for the last two Premier League games.

With that in mind, the Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea could be the perfect time for the Magpies academy graduate to make his return to first-team action. Whilst he may not be able to play the whole game, it gives Miley a chance to build his fitness back up as he looks to be in the fold for a start in the top flight.

The youngster, who is an England under-20 international, was described as an “elegant” player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig. He is silky on the ball, and whilst he may play higher up the pitch than his captain Guimaraes has done this season, he can have an excellent impact in the final third, as his goal involvements from last season show.

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There is an element of risk in starting Miley ahead of Guimaraes on Wednesday night. It is a big game in a competition they want to win, although the main aim is surely getting back into Europe.

Giving their academy graduate minutes to build up his fitness, and managing the game time of their captain could be a smart decision for Howe and his coaching staff.

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