Early Newcastle United team news ahead of derby day at Stadium of Light.

It’s just over a week away from the Sunderland v Newcastle United Wear-Tyne derby at the Stadium of Light.

And ahead of the Premier League clash a week on Sunday, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has provided an update on two of his key players. While Sunderland will first travel to title hopefuls Manchester City on Saturday, Newcastle United host Burnley on Saturday and both Sandro Tonali and Yoane Wissa are doubts heading into the game. Italian international Tonali was forced off at half-time in the midweek match with Tottenham Hotspur with a knock and will be a doubt to face The Clarets this weekend following a scan.

Wissa is also a doubt for the match, but the forward has been back in training and taken part in two practice matches this past week. The 29-year-old is yet to feature since joining the club from Brentford for £55million on deadline day.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Howe said: “[Tonali] has had a scan. We don't think it's too bad.

“So, we're giving him every chance to declare himself fit, if possible. It was a knock, very similar to Joelinton's suffered, sort of a similar fate, sort of dead leg type feeling. “But Sandro’s injury was concerning enough for him to get scanned. We'll see how he is today. And, yeah, give him every chance to be fit.”

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

“Sven [Botman] has had an injection in his back. I haven't actually seen him personally since the Tottenham game. We hope that [the injection] will bring about his return quite quickly. But now I think there's a time period for his injection to work, which I think is around about a week, and then we'll see how he is.”

On Wissa, Howe explained: “Getting closer, we're getting closer. We did 11 v 11 on a game, sort of for him on Wednesday and that was good. “That was more minutes for him, around half an hour and he did well. So, yeah, we'll see how he is today.

Sign up for the Echo’s free football newsletter to follow the action from the Stadium of Light and beyond

“So far he's looked good and he's come through everything. But I always say in these situations, you still have training today, and we've got to make a decision as to whether he's ready to not just be fit, but fit to make a difference and fit to perform to his highest levels.”

Newcastle are in a busy fixture schedule with a trip to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League to follow the Burnley match before the big one. Meanwhile, Régis Le Bris has dropped a strong hint that he has no intention of resting Granit Xhaka or Noah Sadiki when Sunderland face Manchester City on Saturday.

The pair both sit on four yellow cards for the season, one away from an automatic one-game suspension. It’s a source of nerves for supporters as the Black Cats prepare for the Wear-Tyne derby against Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light next Sunday.

The duo have already come through a handful of games without picking up their fifth yellow and the Sunderland head coach looks set to back them to do so again. After a strong team performance at Anfield in which the Black Cats were good value for their 1-1 draw, Le Bris wants to have the best chance possible of landing another result.

Your next Sunderland read: Régis Le Bris drops big hint on the Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki dilemma Sunderland fans have been debating