Newcastle United look to have benefited from the international break, with a trio of key players all in the mix to return against West Ham on Saturday.

The Magpies kick-start a huge weekend of Premier League football as the run-in begins. Eddie Howe's side could move within one point of the Hammers with a victory and would find themselves in eighth place ahead of the other nine matches to be played this weekend.

They would also still have a game in hand over David Moyes' men. However, recent form has made reaching any sort of European football a great challenge.

READ MORE: Exciting July recruitment decision Eddie Howe already made on Yankuba Minteh

READ MORE: Elliot Anderson's unseen work could be about to be rewarded with Newcastle United

Newcastle are seeking what would be just a third win in their last seven games after defeats to both Chelsea and Manchester City ahead of the break. Luckily for Howe, his squad is very slowly starting to come back from a plague of injuries. Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes, and Kieran Trippier are all in with a shout.

Howe played it coy on Friday when speaking to the press, but didn't rule them out. "Possibly, we'll have to wait and see," he said. Livarmento picked up an ankle knock against Chelsea earlier this month, but there was hope he would be back sooner rather than later.

"We knew the day after the game that he wasn't going to make this weekend," Howe said before the loss to City. "We don't think it's serious, and we hope he'll be back for the next match.'

As for Trippier, it was a similar situation. "A minor injury, but the scan showed enough to probably keep him out for the next two games," the head coach said on March 8. "Hopefully, he'll be back for the first game after the break, but that's not absolutely guaranteed."

The wait now goes on ahead of the West Ham meeting at St James' Park. Barnes was in the same camp and is now facing a late assessment along with his teammates to be fit. Howe said before the break that he hoped the 26-year-old would be back.

The biggest new update is that defender Sven Botman turned down having surgery earlier this season. He is now set to miss the rest of the campaign and will be pushing it close to be ready for the next season as well.

"It's a big blow," Howe said. "It’s a complex story with Sven. Initially, he had a partial tear [earlier this season]. We sought specialist opinion and there was conflicting reports on what he should do next.

"Ultimately, our medical team advised him to get surgery, but he wanted to carry on. He has then aggravated that issue. He now has a long road ahead of him, but the operation went well, so we hope he comes back in a better place. Now we'll support him and help him back.

"You can't force a player to have an operation, no matter what an opinion may be internally. Sven was very certain in his mind what he wanted to do."

Meanwhile, Lewis Miley has picked up a problem of his own during the break. He was pulled out of the squad to face Czech Republic Under-20s on Tuesday and will now need a scan before further action is taken.

"Lewis has come back to us with a back problem, we are seeking specialist opinion on him, we don’t know exactly what it is right now." The teenager appears extremely unlikely to play, leaving yet more problems in midfield due to the absence of Joelinton and Sandro Tonali.

Callum Wilson and Nick Pope also remain out. The latter will be aiming for a return in the coming weeks after a massive shoulder injury. "April is his target," Howe said earlier this month about the goalkeeper.

"I think that will be more towards the end of [the month] than the beginning, but he's making good, solid progress. He's out on the grass, but not necessarily diving. That will be a big test for his shoulder, and it's the next stage."