A place in the two-legged semi-finals of the EFL Cup is on the line when Newcastle United welcome Leicester City to St James’ Park in an all-Premier League tie on Tuesday night.
The Carabao Cup might not be as prestigious or iconic as the historic FA Cup in English football, but it’s still silverware, and this year some big clubs, including both Manchester clubs, are still involved, demonstrating its significance. Newcastle and Leicester have never won this trophy, and both sets of fans will be excited to see their teams lift any kind of silverware this season.
While the Foxes have tasted some resounding success in recent times, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield as well as making it into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League since their title-winning 2015-16 season, Newcastle United fans are even more desperate, having endured barren years without a domestic trophy dating back to 1955.
After the Saudi takeover a little over a year ago, there was a lot of optimism at St James’ Park, but even the most optimistic supporters could not have predicted Newcastle would be third in the standings in the New Year and the top four. Boss Eddie Howe has done a sterling job so far, transforming and morphing players and having the Magpies on song from top to bottom.
However, it was a night to forget at Hillsborough for Howe, his players, and Newcastle United’s travelling supporters after having their FA Cup dreams shattered at the first hurdle itself, with a Josh Windass-inspired Sheffield Wednesday side, who ply their trade in League One, claiming a shock FA Cup triumph against all odds.
The former Bournemouth coach made radical changes to his starting eleven at Sheffield Wednesday, resulting in only the second defeat of this campaign. While the idea of giving fringe players a chance to prove their worth was right, the execution from the supporting cast was not, as Howe’s backup artillery paid the price for missing plentiful, glistening opportunities, ultimately succumbing to a 2-1 setback.
While the disappointment is apparent amongst the camp, in the cold light of day, Howe & co. have a bigger fish to fry this season, and a Newcastle victory over Leicester in the last eight of the Carabao Cup will wash away the bitter taste of their early FA Cup exit.
Newcastle comfortably trounced Leicester 3-0 at the King Power Stadium on Boxing Day in the Premier League’s resumption after the World Cup hiatus. Brendan Rodgers and his team will be seeking retribution and something to get excited about in what has been a disappointing season so far.
While Newcastle looks like a club on an amazing upward trajectory, Leicester feels like a team at the other end of the spectrum, a stale squad who are no longer able to punch above their weight and in serious need of reconstruction. The Foxes are firmly in a relegation scrap in the Premier League, so Rodgers and co. would do well to provide their supporters with something exciting and off the menu if they secure their place at Wembley.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
Carabao Cup quarter final action at St. James’ Park! 🏆✊
🔜 #NEWLEI pic.twitter.com/Ylbeg835FO
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) January 9, 2023
Eddie Howe has made a statement of intent ahead of the clash with Leicester City by insisting he will go full strength in the club’s bid to reach a League Cup semi-final, as well as to entertain a sell-out crowd on Tyneside.
Neither Callum Wilson nor Fabian Schar travelled to Sheffield on Saturday due to illness, but Howe hopes to welcome both back into the starting XI. At Hillsborough, Jamaal Lascelles, Jamal Lewis, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, and Matt Ritchie were all handed rare starts, although none are expected to stay in the team.
It would not be surprising if Eddie Howe reverted to the starting lineup that held league-leaders Arsenal to a scoreless draw last Tuesday.
Howe will certainly go with his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Martin Dubravka was another one who started at Sheffield after his loan at Manchester United was cut short, but he didn’t cover himself in any glory with a shaky display between the sticks.
The Slovak shot-stopper will be replaced by regular No. 1 Nick Pope for this EFL Cup tie, protected by the central defensive pairing of Fabian Schar and Sven Botman, with the latter suffering his first Newcastle defeat as a starter last weekend.
That speaks volumes about how well the Dutchman has performed since his arrival on Tyneside. He has been helped by the towering presence of experienced Dan Burn, who has looked imperious at left-back. The Magpies have one of the best crossers in English football in Kieran Trippier, with the Englishman the heartbeat of the team and their main playmaker from right-back.
Despite Joelinton’s best efforts, the midfield struggled without Bruno Guimaraes’ presence against Sheffield, while Sean Longstaff delivering one of his worst games in a long time didn’t help the cause either. The Geordie midfielder will be keen to put things right here, with Joe Willock slotting in as the third midfielder.
Up front, Newcastle are likely to place their hopes in Callum Wilson, Joelinton, and Miguel Almiron to produce the goods. Otherwise, Howe has several options to call upon in the likes of Alexander Isak — who played 45 mins against Sheffield Wednesday — and Elliot Anderson, while Howe is hopeful he will have Saint-Maximin in order to at least make an impact off the bench after missing the squad last time out through illness.
This is a highly talented attacking core that is currently functioning at a high level and should be able to exploit a fragile Leicester defence.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Willock, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Wilson, Joelinton
Leicester City
Ahead of #NEWLEI, Brendan Rodgers has been speaking with the media to preview the St. James’ Park #CarabaoCup tie 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/KqmsfMC24z
— Leicester City (@LCFC) January 9, 2023
Unlike his counterpart in the Newcastle dugout, Foxes’ boss Brendan Rodgers can’t field a full-strength side, with no fewer than eight first-team players missing their trip to St James’ Park.
James Maddison, Jonny Evans, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Boubakary Soumare, Ricardo Pereira, James Justin, Dennis Praet and Ryan Bertrand have all been ruled out of the game by the Leicester boss. Although James Maddison is nearing a comeback from injury, this game comes too early for the attacking midfielder.
Rodgers went with a fairly strong side in the 1-0 victory against Gillingham at the weekend, and they were once again thankful to Kelechi Iheanacho for advancing them to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Leicester will continue to line up in a 4-4-2 formation in the wake of Dewsbury-Hall and Soumare’s unavailability.
Jamie Vardy has led the line in their last two games, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Rodgers chooses Patson Daka in his spot to support Iheanacho for his better defensive and pressing attributes, as well as his devastating pace in behind the opponent’s backline.
Leicester’s defence remains a major question mark. Danny Ward will continue in goal and is expected to have a busy night. Despite his terrible two own-goal showing against Liverpool, Wout Faes’ defensive organisation skills have helped them shore up at the back since arriving at the club.
The problem is that the rest of the usual defenders are either injured or out of form, so his defensive partner is constantly changing, making things even more difficult. Caglar Soyuncu seems to have done enough during the weekend to warrant a start against Newcastle. Timothy Castagne will fill in at right back, while Luke Thomas hopes to catch the eye on the other flank as the left back.
Rodgers could name a midfield double pivot comprised of Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans as they look to cope with Newcastle’s midfield’s intensity in the middle of the park. Veteran Marc Albrighton will continue on the right wing, with Harvey Barnes replacing Ayoze Perez on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Ward; Castagne, Soyuncu, Faes, Thomas; Albrighton, Ndidi, Tielemans, Barnes; Iheanacho, Daka
Key Stats
- Newcastle and Leicester have only met twice in the EFL Cup, with the Foxes winning 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the second round of 2019-20.
- Newcastle are looking to reach the League Cup semi-final for just the second time in their history, previously doing so in 1975–76.
- Newcastle have been undefeated at St James’ Park all season, with their last defeat coming way back in April.
- Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has scored five goals in his last three League Cup games.
- Newcastle forward Chris Wood has netted six goals in all competitions against former side Leicester City, netting the Magpies’ opener in their 3-0 Premier League victory against the Foxes last month.
Player to Watch
Dan Burn
Newcastle United have the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just 11 goals from 18 games. What’s more, the Magpies have allowed their opponents to score only four times in their last 12 matches across all competitions, and a big part of this robust, resilient, and battle-hardened mentality is the towering presence of Geordie defender Dan Burn, who has been at the heart of their defensive displays from left-back.
Burn is having an amazing season. Since his arrival at St James’ Park from Brighton, the defender has not just been ever present for Newcastle, first at centre-back and now at left-back for some reason. While we could have easily picked up any attacker for our “Player to Watch” section, with this expected to be a close encounter with a lot at stake, Burn may well play a vital role in grinding out a positive result and a trip to Wembley for his boyhood club.
Prediction
Newcastle United 1-0 Leicester City
Newcastle have been performing superbly this season, while Leicester have found things quite difficult of late, and three losses in their last four games prove that very fact. The Foxes now must be wary of facing the wounded animal in Newcastle, who will be extra motivated to prove that was a blip in what has been a remarkable season thus far.
Leicester will also miss James Maddison, and his ability to link play and create chances, without which it’s difficult to imagine Leicester scoring against this talented and committed Toon rearguard. When you factor in Newcastle’s form and their recent record at home, it’s hard to look past anything but a Toon triumph on Tyneside.
