Newcastle United are set to host Brentford at St James’ Park in the League Cup quarter-final later today.
This match comes just ten days after Brentford secured a 4-2 victory over Newcastle in the Premier League.
However, the Magpies have since delivered excellent performances against Liverpool and Leicester City.
They held a rampant Liverpool, spearheaded by Mohamed Salah, to a 3-3 draw on Tyneside.
Following a four-game winless streak, Eddie Howe’s side bounced back emphatically with a 4-0 win against Leicester City last weekend.
Despite the victory, Newcastle are 12th in the Premier League. They are far from where they want to be, but the League Cup is a chance to salvage something from the season.
Newcastle’s journey in the competition has been promising, having already eliminated two Premier League teams – Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
The win over the Blues was impressive, considering how good Enzo Maresca’s side have been this season.
Howe’s squad is determined to build on this momentum as they aim for silverware after finishing as runners-up in 2022/23, losing to Manchester United.
Howe knows the importance of this clash. He said (via NUFC.com): “Whenever you play Brentford, home or away, it will be a difficult game.
“It is the attitude ultimately – we need to show how important this game is to us. These games take huge importance when we get to the latter stages.”
Team news
Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope will miss out due to a knee injury, but Martin Dubravka’s solid performance against Leicester has eased concerns in goal.
Kieran Trippier could start after playing a bit-part role this season. Another injury-laden campaign for Callum Wilson means he will miss the game. Sven Botman continues to step up his recovery.
On Botman’s return to action with the under-21s on Monday night, Howe said: “He was good last night, he seemed in a good place.
“We exchanged messages. His movement was good, commanding and a big presence on the pitch. We have missed him.”
Newcastle predicted line-up
(4-3-3): Martin Dubravka; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall; Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock; Harvey Barnes, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon.
