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Eddie Howe is now taking questions, and he says Bruno Guimaraẽs could feature against Aston Villa after suffering an injury against PSV in midweek. “Reasonably positive after the game, so we will give him every chance this weekend,” the Newcastle manager said.

Howe added that Dan Burn is back in training after suffering a punctured lung during December’s derby defeat to Sunderland – and was tight-lipped on transfers, saying the club “won’t panic” but will have to be guided by their PSR situation this month.

Nottingham Forest’s first European adventure for almost 30 years was supposed to be a hoot but the mood music that accompanied a slender defeat in Braga felt rather alarming. The fact is Forest failed to perform and a stale display was typified by the chain of errors that culminated in the captain, Ryan Yates, scoring an own goal that proved sufficient to earn the hosts victory.

A swell of the 2,100 away fans who made the trip to northern Portugal relayed their feelings to Sean Dyche and his squad, jeering the players on several occasions. At full time the question on supporters’ lips was a slightly more direct version of: what on earth was that?