Fitness coach Francisco de Miguel Moreno will stand in for the 57-year-old Spaniard at Friday's regular pre-game news conference.
The BBC said Benitez had undergone a hospital procedure during last week's international break to deal with an infection resulting from a hernia operation that he had more than two years ago.
The Newcastle Chronicle reported that the manager had attempted to return to Newcastle from the north-west on Thursday morning, but had turned back after suffering from pain while in the car.
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(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
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