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Newcastle: Martin Dubravka suffers illness on international duty
Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is undergoing treatment for angina on international duty.
The lowdown
Dubravka, who was Slovakia’s goalkeeper at last summer’s European Championship, missed his nation’s 2-0 defeat against Norway in Oslo on Friday. Largely due to a lack of availability, he has only played one game for Stefan Tarkovic’s side since that tournament.
The 33-year-old missed the start of the 2021/22 campaign with a foot injury but returned to the Newcastle side in late November and has held down his place ever since.
Ahead of their trip to Tottenham on Sunday, the Magpies are already without the likes of Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.
The latest
Slovakia head coach Tarkovic told futbalsfz.sk (via Caught Offside) that Dubravka had had to withdraw from the squad due to angina, a potentially serious heart conditions which restricts the flow of blood to the heart muscles.
The 49-year-old stated: “Martin Dubravka suspects angina. Our doctors started antibiotic treatment for him. He is in isolation and will definitely not be part of the team in Norway and Finland.”
Will Newcastle avoid defeat against Spurs?
Yes
No
The verdict
The £38,000-per-week goalkeeper could be a big miss for Newcastle if he faces a spell on the sidelines.
Without him, data from FBRef suggests that the Magpies would be around four goals worse off this season. That’s the fourth-best shot-stopping record in the Premier League, behind only Alisson, Jose Sa and David de Gea.
By contrast, deputy option Karl Darlow conceded 3.4 goals more than he ‘should’ have over the course of just eight matches earlier in the season. For context, the three ‘keepers below Darlow – Ben Foster, Emiliano Martinez and Illan Meslier, have played 18, 28 and 30 games respectively.
It therefore seems that the 31-year-old is a far less reliable option than Dubravka, and he might cost Newcastle points if he needs to be called upon in the Slovakian’s potential absence in upcoming fixtures.
In other news, Newcastle have agreed this deal for a rising starlet
