FA Cup – Newcastle vs. Bournemouth – Eddie Howe: Match Preview

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Newcastle United host AFC Bournemouth at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon with FA Cup progression at stake, as Eddie Howe faces his former club in the third round of the domestic tourney.

Newcastle

enter the match amid one of their strongest runs this season. A dramatic 4-3 Premier League win over Leeds United on Wednesday extended the Magpies’ unbeaten home run to 12 matches in all competitions and marked a third consecutive win overall.

The result lifted confidence inside the locker room and the club to sixth place in the Premier League table, reinforcing the importance of St James’ Park and the Geordie faithful, as Newcastle have been far more reliable playing inside their feud than on the road.

Despite carrying some decent momentum into Saturday’s game, the FA Cup has been problematic for Newcastle in recent years, with multiple early exits and no run beyond the quarter-finals since 2005, so fans better tame expectations a bit.

On top of everything, the Magpies have a tough schedule this month as they will need to balance domestic and European games throughout, although the FA Cup remains one of the most realistic opportunities for hosting a trophy at the end of the season.

It’s fair to assume Howe will rotate some players, though Newcastle should still be expected to field a competitive side better on paper than that of Bournemouth.

The Cherries arrive in Tyneside having just ended an 11-match winless run with a 3-2 league victory over Tottenham Hotspur. That result eased pressure on Andoni Iraola, but away form remains a concern, and at the end of the day, the lads are still 15th in the table on 26 points in 21 games.

Bournemouth have only one away win in all competitions this season and have struggled to control games outside the Vitality Stadium. They have, however, proved difficult opponents for Newcastle recently, going six matches unbeaten in league meetings.

Howe has faced his former club eight times throughout his career in Newcastle and other clubs, earning only one win while drawing five games and losing two.

Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk

On the Magpies’ defensive options and Dan Burn’s fitness…
“It’s not ideal for us. We’ve been stretched in that area for a while, and we get Sven (Botman) back and then lose Fabian, and Fabian’s been outstanding for us.

“Dan was given a timeframe that I think will roughly end up being the timeframe – I’m not sure how much we can shave off that with the type of injury he’s got.

“But he’s making good progress – he’s running, he’s out on the grass, he’s here every day, and Dan will be very keen to push himself back, but it’s one we have to be careful with.”

On the FA Cup and the need for focus…
“For whatever reason, we haven’t quite matched the success we’ve had in the Carabao Cup – that’s a frustration for us. I felt last year was a big opportunity and it ended in us losing against Brighton, which was frustrating for us because we’d done the hard work.

“The FA Cup is a great competition. The early rounds are I think the most difficult because for us this year, we’re surrounded by loads of other games, and we really need to make sure that we focus on this one because want to progress, we want to do well in every competition that we play.

“We can’t have our eyes focused on the Manchester City game or future games in the Champions League. We’re trying to get that focus narrowed, and it’ll be a tough game for us.”

On Lewis Miley’s recent performances in unfamiliar roles…
“I see his long-term position in midfield, but we’ll use him wherever the team needs as long as he’s comfortable with that, and at the moment he’s very keen to play anywhere to help the team. He’s got a great mindset for it and he’s not phased – whatever you ask him to do, he does to the best of his ability.

“I thought he was outstanding going in at centre half the other day (against Leeds) in a game where we weren’t in total control of transitions, we weren’t in total control or on top of the game. He’s had some moments where he’s had to go one-on-one against centre forwards and he’s dealt with those situations really well, so we were very, very impressed with him again.

“He has, bizarrely, played centre half more than he’s played full back. We’ve trained him there a number of times in the last two years. He’s always looked really comfortable and composed, so I was a little bit more relaxed with him going in that position. The full back one was sprung on him, and that’s the really positive surprise.”

Howay!