Newcastle United host Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
Just over a week after Newcastle were thrashed so badly by the Bees that Eddie Howe even questioned the attitude of some of his players, the two sides meet again.
Indeed, Brentford head to St James’ Park in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, a competition Howe has enjoyed a relative amount of success in during his time at the club.
The Newcastle United manager took the club to the final of this competition back in 2023 during a stunning first full season in charge, albeit it ended in disappointment following a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Howe heads into this game under pressure to improve things. Failure to beat a Brentford side who might be excellent at home but have largely been terrible away would be a huge disappointment and leave Newcastle with only the FA Cup and Premier League to focus on.
Given their inconsistency in the league and dreadful FA Cup record, few would realistically back them to make in-roads into either competition.
With that in mind, Wednesday’s clash has all the makings of a huge game.
Interestingly, of course, VAR will not be in use.
Newcastle goal ruled out by VAR during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St. James Park on September 03, 2022...
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Why isn’t VAR being used in Newcastle vs Brentford?
Any contentious refereeing calls will not have the luxury of going to those in Stockley Park for further assessment.
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That’s because the Carabao Cup does not use VAR technology until the semi-final stage of the competition. It will then be used again at the final in March at Wembley.
Newcastle will hope no VAR doesn’t cost them against Brentford
This is a huge game for Howe, there is little doubt about that.
Losing to a Brentford side who haven’t beaten a Premier League team away from home all season would be a huge disappointment, denying owners PIF of a potential trophy during a season in which they reportedly believe winning one is possible.
The Bees are not to be taken lightly, as Howe himself knows. Still, this looks like a must-win in terms of morale for the season ahead.
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