Newcastle
- Newcastle have lost only one of their last five matches in all competitions and have shown a cup pedigree by scoring plenty of goals.
- Newcastle come into this Carabao Cup quarter-final with solid form, but with only a two-point advantage over Fulham in the Premier League table, both teams sitting in mid-table.
- Newcastle boss Howe operates his side in a high-intensity 4-3-3 system that can be flexible, depending on the game state.
- Bruno Guimarães is the fulcrum to their midfield play and can be an all-round star on his day, while Anthony Gordon is their engine room.
Fulham
- Fulham have been erratic but can be deadly when in form, as they were in the 5-4 defeat to Man City and the 3-2 win over Burnley.
- Marco Silva’s side have played with a smart 4-2-3-1 system that is compact, pragmatic and can be explosive when the key players are fit.
- His team have been a bit erratic of late, but when they’ve clicked they have been very dangerous - as Burnley found out at the weekend when Harry Wilson’s spark made the difference in Fulham’s 3-2 win.
- Wilson is the Cottagers’ man in form right now and his link-up play with Emile Smith Rowe, who opened the scoring in the victory at Burnley, could cause the Magpies some problems.
Head-to-Head
- The history of this fixture suggests that the tie is too close to call with Newcastle 35 wins to 33 in 83 games in all competitions.
- But with home field advantage and cup experience, Newcastle will edge this one.
Newcastle
- Bruno Guimarães is the fulcrum to their midfield play and can be an all-round star on his day, while Anthony Gordon is their engine room.
- Gordon, who takes penalties and provides assists, is also a key to their Champions League run.
- Lewis Miley, a precocious talent from the Academy, has scored and impressed in his last two Newcastle appearances, which came in the league and cup.
Fulham
- Wilson is the Cottagers’ man in form right now and his link-up play with Emile Smith Rowe, who opened the scoring in the victory at Burnley, could cause the Magpies some problems.
- Rodrigo Muniz and Raúl Jiménez have been effective striking options for Fulham this season, but Silva is getting enough from his squad to suggest he is a good manager.
Betting Insights
- But Newcastle are defending champions of the competition and will want to keep the trophy in the north-east so this could be close - although Eddie Howe’s side must be expected to win at 1.77 with Fulham 4.82 and the draw 4.11.
- Over 2.5 goals at 1.83 looks tempting given both sides’ attacking tendencies.
- Howe’s team have shown enough vulnerability to suggest they could fall to a penalty shoot-out, which is on offer for this knockout game, if Fulham can get them level after 90 minutes.
Prediction
- But with home field advantage and cup experience, Newcastle will edge this one.
- Fulham’s attacking spark means it should be an open tie and Over 2.5 goals is a strong possibility.
