Eddie Howe confident of Sven Boatman's fitness

Despite only returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, manager Eddie Howe believes Sven Botman can still play the full 90 minutes for Arsenal in their Carabao Cup semi-final.  

Sven Botman was substituted in injury time against Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle United, his first start in ten months. Eddie Howe said: "Sven Botman feels good and is naturally a little tired after the game. Sven Botman hasn't played for a long time, but he has been training for this moment for a long time."  

"Sven Botman has been cleared to play since the Aston Villa game. We wanted to give him a little longer to get back to top fitness, it's not like he's been rushed back."  

"Sven Botman came straight in and did really well and I'm very pleased with him. The Premier League is different to anything else you do, but he did really well.  

In the 78th minute of the game, Newcastle United also replaced Anthony Gordon because the player suffered a facial injury while competing with Dejan Kulusevski in the penalty area.  

Eddie Howe also said: "Anthony Gordon was a bit unwell and the injury looked serious. Looking back on the call at the time, I thought it was a foul and a clear penalty. Anthony Gordon was bleeding from that incident, so we helped him dust himself off and returned to the court. Anthony Gordon played a good game, so we will see how he performs after that."