Just 11 days ago, Brentford beat Newcastle 4-2 in the Premier League, but this time they meet on Tyneside, with a place in the EFL Cup semi-finals on the line.
Newcastle United vs Brentford Preview
Can Newcastle keep alive their hopes of capturing major domestic silverware for the first time since 1955? The Magpies' defeat in the final of this competition two seasons ago at the hands of Manchester United still stings, making Eddie Howe's team double-determined to be celebrating victory at Wembley come March. So far, the Toon Army have overcome Nottingham Forest on penalties and narrowly ousted AFC Wimbledon before, in round four, a 2-0 home victory over Chelsea, in which they scored twice in three minutes, punishing the Blues' catastrophic defending.
More broadly, Newcastle have turned up in big home games this season, beating Tottenham and Arsenal, also holding both Man City and Liverpool to draws on Tyneside. The Magpies most-recently smashed Leicester 4-0 at St James' on Saturday; Jacob Murphy scoring twice while Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak also got on the scoresheet, but this ended a four-game winless streak with Howe's side down in 12th, struggling to find consistency. This though only adds extra importance to the cup competitions, so will the Toon Army have a semi-final spot to celebrate here?
Brentford meantime, as mentioned, beat Newcastle 4-2 in West London under a fortnight ago, but are very much a different proposition on the road. The Bees' Jekyll and Hyde home and away form continued on Sunday night, defeating 2-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, despite actually putting in a spirited performance, with Bryan Mbeumo's smart finish coming too late to spark a comeback. As a result, remarkably, Thomas Frank's team have collected just a solitary point from eight Premier League away games thus far while, on the flip side, they've taken 22 points from a possible 24 at home, meaning they're above their hosts here by virtue of goal-scored.
In the Carabao Cup, the Bees have so far put out Colchester, Leyton Orient and Sheffield Wednesday on penalties, so are seeking to reach the semi-finals of a major cup competition for only the second time; during their promotion campaign, Frank's team dumped out four top-flight outfits, including Newcastle, before defeat to Spurs in the 2021 League Cup semi-finals behind-closed-doors. Ahead of this one, Brentford have not win on Tyneside for 90 years, losing seven of eight subsequent visits to the North East, so the Bees will ned to upset the odds if they're to leave St James' victorious.
Newcastle United vs Brentford Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 19.
- Newcastle United Wins: 13. Draws: 1. Chelsea Wins: 5.
Newcastle United Team News
As in previous rounds, Eddie Howe will pick a strong team, albeit one that won't feature first-choice goalkeeper Nick Pope, who's suffered a knee injury, while Emil Krafht, Jamaal Lascelles, Sven Botman, Lewis Miley and Callum Wilson are also sidelined. Martin Dúbravka was chosen to don the gloves at the weekend, but Odysseas Vlachodimos could see rare action here; his sole appearance for Newcastle to date is a 45 minute cameo against Wimbledon in round three. Elsewhere, considering Joelinton will be suspended for Saturday's visit to Ipswich, he will start for sure, while Jacob Murphy's double against Leicester could see him keep his place.
Newcastle United predicted lineup vs Brentford: (4-3-3): Vlachodimos; Livramento, Schär, Kelly, Hall; Tonali, Guimarães, Joelinton; Murphy, Gordon, Isak.
Newcastle United Player to Watch vs Brentford
Alexander Isak has scored 15 goals in his 16 outings at St James' Park since last Boxing Day, also on target at Brentford 11 days ago, so will the Swede's scoring spree continue?
Brentford Team News
Thomas Frank meantime cannot call upon the services of Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, Mathias Jensen, Josh Dasvila or Gustavo Nunes but, in better news, Kristoffer Ajer is back, coming off the bench on Sunday for his first appearance since 19 October due to a foot injury. Frank switched to a back five at Stamford Bridge, his favoured shape for tough away games, which is likely to be the blueprint here too, with Vitaly Janelt also set to return to the lineup, having come on around the hour mark at the weekend. Igor Thiago made his long-awaited full-Premier League debut against Newcastle, before missing the Chelsea game with a "minor injury", which is obviously concerning considering he'd been sidelined for four months, making the club-record signing a doubt for this tie.
Brentford predicted lineup vs Newcastle United: (5-3-2): Flekken; Ajer, van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Nørgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbuemo, Wissa.
Brentford Players to Watch vs Newcastle United
Bryan Mbeumo took his tally to ten goals in the Premier League this season on Sunday, while the Cameroonian international scored against Newcastle for the very first time at the seventh attempt earlier this month, so could he be the hero on Tyneside?
Newcastle United vs Brentford Prediction
We cannot see beyond a Newcastle victory. The Magpies have been generally strong at home while Brentford continue to find it impossible to win away, both trends we're forecasting will continue in this quarter-final come Wednesday: Newcastle United 2-0 Brentford.
Newcastle United vs Brentford FAQs - Carabao Cup
How to watch Newcastle United vs Brentford Carabao Cup game on TV channel?
Newcastle United vs Brentford Carabao Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Sky Sports+
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV & CBS Sports Network
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Newcastle United vs Brentford Carabao Cup game on live streaming?
Newcastle United vs Brentford Carabao Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Sky Sports+
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV & CBS Sports Network
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Newcastle United vs Brentford in the Carabao Cup?
Newcastle United vs Brentford takes place on Wednesday 18 December 2024, with kick off at 19:45 (GMT), 14:45 (EDT) & 11:45 (PST).