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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City at St James’ Park (kick-off 20:00 GMT).
You can listen to Howe’s words here and below are the key lines from his news conference:
- Tino Livramento will have a scan on his hamstring today "to understand the extent of the damage".
- Howe said playing 120 minutes against Bournemouth in the FA Cup at the weekend "wasn't ideal" given their fixture schedule but getting through to the fourth round was the most important thing.
- As a result of Saturday's game, assessing the players' "physical energy levels" is the "upmost" priority before selecting his team for Tuesday's game.
- On the first-leg of the semi-final being at home: "The natural preference is a home game for the second leg because by then you have a clear understanding of what you need to do and have the home crowd with you. It's not like that this time [round] so we need to give everything to try and impose ourselves on them in this home tie."
- Howe said they "really enjoyed the two-legged format" last season against Arsenal, but “this is going to be a totally different challenge because Manchester City are the hardest team to play over two legs in this country”.
- On opponents City: "Pep [Guardiola] will tactically have something ready for us, and we will have to be at our very best to get through. They change and tinker a lot with the tactical set-up they have. They're a difficult team to read and know how to plan and prepare for."
- Howe said his "focus is laser-like" for January, but the schedule for the players "is a huge challenge and incredibly demanding, physically and mentally".
- There is still "no definitive return date" for right-back Emil Krafth as he is still having problems with his knee. Howe said: "He really is a big miss for us. He has always been such a reliable performer and has the versatility we need. We are desperate to have him back but we will have to wait and see."
Follow all of Monday’s Carabao Cup news conferences and the rest of the day’s football news
