Chelsea welcome last season’s EFL Cup finalists Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, with both sides coming off impressive wins over the weekend.
Chelsea and Newcastle United will turn their attentions to the League Cup quarter-final showdown on Tuesday night in what is undoubtedly the headline tie of the round. Domestic cup competitions are the only chance for both sides’ aspirations to lift silverware this season.
The Blues rediscovered their golden touch at Stamford Bridge to beat Sheffield United 2-0 in the Premier League to get back to winning ways on Saturday. The West Londoners, who have lost the last two Carabao Cup finals they have played in, will look to go the whole hog this season, having beaten AFC Wimbledon, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Blackburn Rovers en route to the quarter-finals.
Newcastle United travel to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, looking to advance to the EFL Cup semi-finals for the second season in a row. Having rebounded from the disappointment of European exit with a 3-0 thrashing of ten-man Fulham thanks to goals from Lewis Miley, Miguel Almiron, and Dan Burn, this League Cup quarter-final is even more important now since a crucial avenue has turned into a dead-end street.
Either Eddie Howe’s men take a huge step towards a first trophy in 54 years or a campaign of slim pickings looms ahead even before Christmas. The Toon deserve so much more in the Carabao Cup than they did last season when they had a relatively easy road to Wembley.
This time, it has been the ultimate confrontation against the heavyweights: European champions Manchester City, followed by holders Manchester United away, and now free-spenders Chelsea on their patch have come in Newcastle United’s way.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Chelsea boast an extensive injury list, having witnessed first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (knee), left-back Marc Cucurella (foot/ankle), and captain Reece James (hamstring) depart injured in the 2-0 defeat to Everton a fortnight ago. Sanchez’s absence means that Djordje Petrovic will continue between the sticks after making his first Premier League start last time out against Sheffield United.
The trio join Romeo Lavia (ankle), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), Lesley Ugochukwu (unspecified), Wesley Fofana (knee), Ben Chilwell (thigh), Noni Madueke (unspecified), and Carney Chukwuemeka (knee) in the treatment room. But Christopher Nkunku (knee) and Malo Gusto (tendon) are back in full training.
The former was an unused substitute against Sheffield United last weekend and could finally make his belated Blues debut here, while the latter could start from the outset at right-back this midweek. Lesley Ugochukwu is nearing a return to fitness but will be absent midweek.
Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez was left out of the starting XI in the Blues’ 2-0 win against Sheffield United at the weekend but could be one of the couple of names under consideration for a recall alongside target-man Armando Broja.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Maatsen; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sterling, Gallagher, Palmer; Broja
Newcastle United
While Newcastle United have lately welcomed a few injured stars back, they have been immediately replaced in the treatment room by teammates as the Magpies’ perpetually lengthy injury list continues to disrupt manager Eddie Howe’s plans.
Sandro Tonali (suspended), Nick Pope (shoulder), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Matt Targett (thigh), Javi Manquillo (groin), Elliot Anderson (back), Joe Willock (calf), and Harvey Barnes (ankle) all remain on the sidelines.
Kieran Trippier (unspecified) and Alexander Isak (groin) will also need to be evaluated closer to the quarter-final, where Chelsea loanee Lewis Hall will also be unavailable to face his parent club due to loan regulations.
Fabian Schar (gluteal) and Joelinton (hamstring) both pulled up dramatically against Fulham with twanging injuries and will almost certainly be out beyond Chelsea. However, the substitutes Emil Krafth and Lewis Miley both did extremely well, especially the 17-year-old, who scored his breakthrough goal and became Newcastle United’s youngest-ever Premier League scorer.
Miley, along with experienced campaigners Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff in the engine room, will look to turn the screw on the expensively assembled Chelsea midfield. Star defender Sven Botman may have played just six minutes plus injury time against Fulham on Saturday night at St James’ Park. But the Dutchman is firmly in contention to partner skipper Jamaal Lascelles in Tuesday’s season-defining Carabao Cup tie.
Winger Anthony Gordon shrugged off concerns over his hamstring issue to start for the Magpies last Saturday and was excellent again, rattling the woodwork with one effort, firing in another three shots, and teeing up four chances for his teammates, one of which trundled into the path of Miguel Almiron for the winger to tap in.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Krafth, Lascelles, Botman, Burn; Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Wilson, Gordon
Key Stats
- The two teams have met each other five times in the Carabao Cup thus far, and the hosts have the upper hand in these meetings, with four wins and a defeat.
- Chelsea have won 10 of the last 11 times at home against Newcastle United.
- The Blues are winless in their last three meetings against Newcastle United, suffering two defeats, including a 4-1 away loss in the Premier League last month.
- Newcastle are winless in their last five away games in all competitions, suffering four defeats and failing to score three times in that stretch.
Player to Watch
Lewis Miley
While English football waxes lyrical over the world-class talents of Jude Bellingham, Newcastle United might well be witnessing the emergence of the next great generational midfield talent in Lewis Miley.
The 17-year-old has been a bright spark during the Toon’s injury-hit season and has seized his chance in Eddie Howe’s first team. He has played against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United and not looked fazed at all; the only thing missing was a goal.
That came in the second half against Fulham, just days after he became the youngest Premier League player to grab an assist in the Champions League, breaking Theo Walcott’s long-standing record. While it might be early days, he is emerging as a serious talent. And it looks like Newcastle have a special talent on their hands.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United
With Newcastle United running on empty tanks and first-team players falling like a house of cards, Chelsea have a great chance of victory. However, the Blues have been so erratic this season that it is tough to anticipate which side we’ll see.
While the Magpies have struggled to manage their increased workload, especially away from home, their fringe stars have proven more than capable of giving the opposition a run for their money. Expect the Toon to pull through a full-blown injury crisis and come out on top in a tightly-contested encounter at Stamford Bridge to move one step closer to EFL Cup glory.
