Brazilian international Guimarães was substituted in the first half of Wednesday night's 3-0 Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven.

Howe says there is still a question mark over whether the 28-year-old will be involved in Sunday's game against Aston Villa at St. James' Park (kick-off 2pm GMT), but hopes he has avoided a significant problem with big games on three fronts - the Premier League, Carabao Cup and Champions League - on the horizon.

He spoke to the media ahead of the weekend visit of Unai Emery's men. Here are some of the main talking points:

On Bruno's fitness...

"We hope it is not serious. The extent of the injury is still unknown.

"He was reasonably positive after the game - he is the guy that will never rule anything out.

"We are going to give him every chance for this weekend. We will try and make the right decision with Bruno - he is a pivotal player."

On Villa...

"They have had a great season so far. They have a clear way of playing and clear structures in their style.

"They have gone on a good run and found ways to win - as we know, that is hard to do at this level and in this league. Full credit to the coach and his players.

"We know this will be a really difficult game. It was really competitive when we met at the start of the season. Let's hope we can bring our A game."

On Kieran Trippier's recent return to the side...

"Kieran is an unbelievable leader behind-the-scenes for us, a steadying and calming influence (and) a great communicator with the players.

"He’s got a lot of experience. He’s done well, especially on Wednesday night. I have been very pleased with him. A big challenge for us is to keep him in that rhythm."

On Lewis Miley's reaction to being handed the captain's armband during the midweek win over PSV...

"Lewis is Lewis - he's very relaxed and very calm, unphased. He has the ability to control his emotions and feelings.

"He has a lot of maturing and development in his game to come, but great early signs for him in his career so far."