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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has insisted he will not take any risks with star striker Alexander Isak’s long-term fitness as he decides whether or not to pitch him into FA Cup battle with Brighton.

The Sweden international missed Wednesday night’s Premier League defeat at Liverpool with a slight groin problem and will be assessed ahead of Sunday’s fifth-round tie, one of two games the Magpies will play before they meet the Reds again in the Carabao Cup final.

Asked if there would be an element of risk in selecting Isak this weekend, head coach Howe said: “There’s always a risk with any player even if they’re 100 per cent fit, that’s the world that we’re in.

“But we wouldn’t take any risks on his long-term fitness. We’ll see how he is today and if he’s fit, he’ll play.

“I haven’t seen him since the [Liverpool] game, so we’ll see how he is today, have a long discussion with him, I’m sure. We don’t think it’s a long-term problem. “Obviously there was no risk taken on Wednesday and there can’t be with the stage of the season we’re at.”