EDDIE Howe admits he needs to find a way to get Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali firing together in the same midfield for Newcastle United.

Since returning from his betting ban, Tonali has made just four Premier League starts and has had to settle for a place on the bench in Newcastle's last three games.

Howe did previously play Bruno, Tonali and Joelinton in midfield together but the balance and dynamic of the trio wasn't right.

That prompted the head coach into a rethink, with Joelinton moving into a more advanced role in recent weeks and Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock returning to the midfield to play with Bruno.

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Howe must decide whether to stick with that trio at Crystal Palace on Saturday on the back of Monday night's disappointing defeat to West Ham.

But regardless of his Selhurst Park selection, Newcastle's boss insists he still believes he can get a tune out of Tonali and Bruno in the same team.

"Anything is possible," he said.

"Of course they can [play together]. They are two outstanding players. It’s up to me to try and find a solution that works for both players and sees their qualities within the team.

"You can put any player into the team and any combination of players into the team, but it’s got to be to the team’s benefit. It has to be right for both players to showcase their attributes. So, hopefully we can do that."

Howe has been pleased with Tonali's attitude and approach in recent weeks, despite the fact he's been left out of the team.

He said: "He’s been good and has trained really well, especially this week, I’ve been really pleased with his contribution.

"He did really well when came on at Nottingham Forest, in a moment when that game was in the balance at 1-1. He played a big part in moving that game towards us. So he’s fighting for a place and is doing himself no harm with how he’s performing in training."

Bruno's Newcastle importance is clear and it was put to the head coach that the Magpies hadn't won any of the seven Premier League games which the Brazilian has missed since his arrival on Tyneside in January, 2022.

Howe said: “That’s not a great stat, is it? Hopefully we don’t have to figure that out [how to play without him]. He’s in the team so let’s keep him there.”