Injuries force Wagner into shuffling pack

Wagner also has midfield linchpin Jonathan Hogg under treatment for a groin niggle - he also had a wrist bound in the Arsenal game after staying down for several minutes following an awkward fall and Terence Kongolo battling a knee injury.

So the best case scenario is that Wagner will have to make only two enforced changes to his starting line-up.

The worst case is it may have to be four.

Dealing with just two changes is obviously more straightforward, especially with in-form midfielder Philip Billing available again after serving a one-match ban against Arsenal.

Billing could come straight back in and play alongside Hogg and Williams, causing least disruption to that vital department.

At the back, with Chris Lowe fit again, Erik Durm or Flo Hadergjonaj, who were both on the bench at the Emirates, could step back into the starting line-up for Smith who, funnily enough, replaced a belowpar Mooy as a sub against Brighton.

But it becomes more complicated if either Kongolo or Hogg - or indeed both - miss out against the Toon.

And this is where Durm becomes an even more valuable squad member than he has proved already.

If Wagner were to replace Kongolo by using Lowe as the left central defender, as he did at Burnley, then German World Cup winner Durm could take the left wing-back slot without problem.

That would leave Hadergjonaj on the right (for the injured Smith), with Billing, Williams and Hogg in midfield. Should Hogg also miss out, however, there are several options to consider. Once again, Durm or Hadergjonaj could take a midfield slot alongside Billing and Williams but that would mean a key wing-back slot having to be covered, unless Jon Gorenc Stankovic was drafted in as the third centre-back. Stankovic hasn’t been on the bench, however, since replacing Hogg for the final minute at Wolves, so maybe that option is a little bit further removed. The Slovenian could also be used as a defensive midfield option, but at home against a bottomseven rival it would seem less likely. The boss, maybe, could instead replace Hogg with Juninho Bacuna alongside Billing and Williams, as he did at Arsenal where he had praise for the 21-year-old Dutchman. That would leave Alex Pritchard to continue at No.10 in support of Laurent Depoitre, who seems certain to lead the attack for a third successive match as Steve Mounie -

Best case scenario is Wagner will have to make only two changes...the worst case is four