Three days after their Stamford Bridge showdown, Newcastle United and Chelsea will lock horns at St James’ Park as they fight for a place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. The Magpies will be striving to build some momentum following a worrying start to the campaign, whilst the Blues are aiming to continue their excellent early-season form by the way of a fourth-round success in this competition.
A four-match unbeaten run in the league at the beginning of the term provided cause for optimism on Tyneside, although Newcastle United are now in the midst of a five-game winless streak on English football’s top table, concerning form that was worsened by a narrow defeat to the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
Focusing on EFL Cup matters, Eddie Howe’s troops commenced their 2024-25 road to Wembley with a penalty-shootout success over fellow top-flight contenders Nottingham Forest in the second round on August 28, before the North-East giants squeezed past League Two AFC Wimbledon in the third round thanks to spot kick from Fabian Schar.
Last lifting a major trophy in 1955, Saudi-backed Newcastle United will view the EFL Cup as an excellent opportunity to end their silverware drought, with Wednesday’s hosts failing to win this competition in the past despite making final appearances in the 1975-76 and 2022-23 seasons.
Owing to their continental adventures in UEFA’s third-tier club competition, Chelsea have only had to navigate the troubles of one EFL Cup tie to arrange a fourth-round battle versus Newcastle United, with the West Londoners putting League Two Barrow to the sword at Stamford Bridge on September 24.
Rather unsurprisingly considering the dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool in this competition over the last decade, Chelsea’s most recent EFL Cup triumph arrived in the middle of the 2014-15 season, when Wembley strikes from John Terry and Diego Costa ensured a final victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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