Newcastle United face a huge Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain this week, but a late injury concern has emerged regarding one of their key players.
Who is currently injured at Newcastle?
The Magpies were superb last season, finishing fourth in the Premier League, and it means that they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. Eddie Howe's side started their European campaign with a goalless draw away to AC Milan last month, in what was a spirited performance against the Serie A champions, but an even bigger test awaits on Wednesday evening.
Newcastle welcome PSG to St James' Park looking to pick up a stunning win, with Kylian Mbappe of course the main attraction for the visitors, considering he is arguably the world's leading footballer at the moment.
While the Magpies will fancy their chances of causing an upset in front of a raucous home crowd, injury problems are threatening to be problematic, with a host of key players missing. That includes the likes of Sven Botman, Joe Willock, Joelinton and Callum Wilson, and now another fitness scare has emerged.
What's the latest Newcastle team news?
Taking to X, Sky Sports man Keith Downie hinted that Tonali could also be a doubt for the PSG game, having not been seen in training on Tuesday:
"UPDATE: Callum Wilson joined the group a bit later. But no sign of Tonali, Botman or Joelinton. No word yet as to why Tonali was absent."
Tonali may still be getting used to life in a Newcastle shirt, arguably dropping off a little bit after a memorable goalscoring debut at home to Aston Villa back in August, but there is no question that not having him available against PSG would be a big blow.
The Italian has been signed to make a big impact on nights such as these, and it would be a great opportunity to announce himself further to supporters on one of the biggest nights at St James' in years.
Howe certainly values Tonali greatly as a player, describing him as "magnificent", adding that he has "knitted into the midfield very well", and not having a player of such quality on the pitch will immediately diminish Newcastle's hopes of picking up a positive result.
The hope is that the 23-year-old ends up being passed fit and that his absence from training is just a precaution, but even if he is out, the Magpies can't afford to be too daunted by their opponents.
In truth, the Ligue 1 champions aren't exactly in sparkling form at the moment, sitting fifth in the table after seven matches, only winning three of those games, and they could only draw 0-0 away to Clermont last weekend. They also no longer have Lionel Messi and Neymar in their ranks, meaning they have lost some of their fear factor.
A win for Newcastle would suddenly put them in a wonderful position to qualify from a group also containing Milan and Borussia Dortmund, but on the flip side, defeat could give them an uphill task. Either way, it is an evening that should be cherished, with such occasions so often completely lacking over the past couple of decades.