Newcastle host Brentford in the EFL Cup quarter-finals at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening, aiming to exact revenge for their recent 4-2 Premier League defeat at the hands of Thomas Frank’s side.
Eddie Howe’s men returned to winning ways over the weekend with a dominant 4-0 victory over Leicester City, a result that quieted their critics but won’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things if the Magpies fall this midweek.
Newcastle’s EFL Cup campaign has been impressive so far, with wins over Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, and AFC Wimbledon propelling them into the last eight. However, injuries continue to plague the Magpies, with Nick Pope, Callum Wilson, and Sven Botman sidelined.
Brentford arrive looking to replicate their best-ever cup run with a semi-final appearance in 2020-21. Despite losing 2-1 at Chelsea on Sunday, the Bees’ form this season has been strong and they beat NUFC just a few days ago, though their struggles away from home remain a concern.
Newcastle, with home advantage and some momentum, will be determined to secure their place in the semi-finals as they aim to win their first title in a lifetime. Keep praying.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of [_**NUFC.co.uk**_](http://NUFC.co.uk)
_**On Wednesday’s quarter-final...**_
“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.
“We know if we can hit the correct levels of performance like we did against Leicester we are a match for anyone in this division.”
_**On Frank’s side, and their recent league meeting...**_
“It is an interesting game to look back on. Brentford went to Chelsea and played a different system. When we look back on that game we weren’t there defensively. We looked back on track against Leicester and defended our goal well. If we can do that again, I back us to score goals.”
_**On building momentum...**_
“Those two games (against Liverpool and Leicester) have been really good performances. The problem for us was Brentford was sandwiched in between it, and we didn’t like ourselves in that one.
“We back ourselves from an attacking sense with the players we have and it was good to see us score the goals we did at the weekend. Our only focus is on Brentford and winning this match.”
_**On Sven Botman’s return to action with the under-21s on Monday night...**_
“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.
“That was a good step for him to get back on the pitch. We are looking at the end of December or start of January (for him to be available for the first team).”
_**On Lewis Hall’s recent form...**_
“Lewis has been very consistent, he has been a shining light for us. For someone so young that is not easy to do.
“I think his technical ability has been outstanding, defensively he has been pretty good, (and) how he has handled himself and his maturity on and off the pitch has been high level.”
_**On Martin Dúbravka’s return in place of the injured Nick Pope on Saturday...**_
“Martin played really well, I think he was very calm in possession and gave us a really good platform to build from at the back. (He’s) a vastly experienced head. I think he can be very pleased with his return to the team.”
_**On making the most of a home draw after a weekend home win...**_
“That gave us a great feeling, we have such a powerful force at home with our supporters. We need to execute our plan well and continue where we left off against Leicester.”
_**Howay!**_
* **Date**: Wednesday, Dec. 18th
* **Kick-off**: 19:45 BST / 15:45 EST
* **Location**: St James’ Park, Newcastle (England)
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