Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur meet at St James’ Park on Wednesday in one of the best fixtures of the EFL Cup fourth round.
Eddie Howe’s side comes in on a strong run of form, while Thomas Frank’s
Spurs continue to balance injuries with league momentum.
Newcastle have won four of their last five matches across all competitions, including a 2-1 victory over Fulham that lifted them to 12th in the Premier League. The Magpies’ defense remains reliable, conceding just eight goals in nine league matches, though scoring continues to be an issue.
In the previous round, the Magpies beat Bradford City 4-1 and are now looking to defend the title they won last season by defeating Liverpool in the final.
Tottenham arrive in third place in the Premier League after a 3-0 win over Everton, but they have lacked consistency, taking only two wins from their last six fixtures. Their last EFL Cup outing was a 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers.
The Spurs have not beaten Newcastle at St James’ Park since 2021 and have lost five of the last six meetings between the clubs.
Newcastle is expected to rotate the XI heavily. Aaron Ramsdale should start in goal, with Fabian Schar, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga, William Osula, Emil Krafth, and Joe Willock likely returning to the lineup.
Sven Botman remains a doubt, while Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, Yoane Wissa, and Harrison Ashby are all injured.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On Wednesday’s game…
“It is important for this game to make the right decision – we want to progress. The competition means a lot to us, we are current holders, we don’t want to give that up easily.
“However, I have a squad, I need to try and get the balance right… There are players who need the football.”
On the fitness of Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento…
“Sven has no concussion – it was a cut, a bad cut (against Fulham), which he had stapled together. He didn’t train yesterday, but we will see how he is today.
“Lewis is the closest to coming back out of those injured, but this game will come too quickly for him.
“Tino is still on track. We are looking at the Manchester City game for him for when he can be available for.”
On the importance of the Carabao Cup…
“We’ve had a lot of great experiences in this competition – the first final, the emotions after the game, feeling we could have done more on the pitch.
“The Chelsea defeat (in 2023/24) is still very painful – we had a chance to win the competition that year – but we put it right. We had a lot of tough opponents – we didn’t get to the final by luck. That experience, winning the cup, has helped us grow as a team.”
On Thomas Frank’s Spurs side…
“This will be a really tough game against a team that is in form away from home. It is going to be a real challenge for us. You can see his imprint on the team already – tactically he is very interesting, he is very versatile.
“His teams are very aggressive off the ball – they are very well organised. It is a good game for us, a tough game but one we look forward to.”
On Will Osula’s recent impact…
“Will is vitally important. He is quick, he is athletic. He has a good attitude and better know-how to manage game situations.
“He is now coming on the pitch looking like a complete package. Every time he has come on the pitch, he has performed.
“He’s a great personality, a real zest for life, he has very close friendships. He is very serious about his work – he is very serious about his development and his game.”
Howay!
- Date: Wednesday, October 29th
- Kick-off: 21:00 BST / 16:00 EST
- Location: St. James’ Park, Newcastle (England)
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