Injury jinx hits Magpies

Alan Shearer is keeping everything crossed as he prepares to send his patched-up Newcastle team into their make-or-break battle at Aston Villa. Having failed in their appeal to have Sebastien Bassong's red card against Fulham, and therefore the two-match suspension he will start at the weekend, overturned, the Magpies will be without their most impressive defender this season at Villa Park. In addition, Habib Beye, who has run the Frenchman a close second, has been given only a slim chance of shaking off a hamstring injury, while the club's only specialist left-back, Jose Enrique, is rated at only 50-50. Assistant manager Iain Dowie said: "The results of Michael Owen's scan are very positive, but we will have to wait and see. It will certainly go to the wire. "Andy Carroll has got an ankle ligament injury and definitely won't be fit. He did it in training - it's very unfortunate. "Habib is very, very doubtful and Jose Enrique's 50-50 at best. But we have got Shola Ameobi, and young Nile Ranger comes into the frame."

Source: Eurosport