All you need to know: Chelsea vs Newcastle United

Chelsea host Newcastle United this evening in what is viewed as the most high-profile tie of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

It is the sixth meeting between the pair in this floodlit tournament, the fourth on the Fulham Road, and the third at this stage. The Blues won four of the previous five, including both last-eight matches.

London’s original winners of the League Cup claimed the famous tri-handled trophy five times between 1965 and 2018.

This is the Magpies’ third quarter-final tie and they were finalists last year, losing 2-0 to Manchester United. They have never won the trophy or, indeed, any major domestic honour since 1954/55.

Chelsea prepared for this fixture with victory over Sheffield United and the first back-to-back league wins at home for more than a year. Eddie Howe’s side, meanwhile, easily beat our postcode neighbours Fulham 3-0 at St James’ Park.

Vitally, the Stamford Bridge crowd knows better than most what is required to carry the team into a 16th League Cup semi-final appearance, and 59th in all competitions. Mauricio Pochettino has demanded his players fight for every single ball tonight, so let’s push the boys all the way.

The road to the quarter-finals

Key stat

Chelsea team news

A few weeks ago at St James’ Park, Mauricio Pochettino had to watch from the grandstand as Reece James saw red and Chelsea suffered the consequences of slack defending and wasteful finishing to lose 4-1.

However, that the Blues had enough openings against what is currently the fifth-weakest traveling team in the Premier League will hearten the Argentine coach.

Raheem Sterling’s direct free-kick was the only effort that found the net that day and maintained his exceptional goals record against the Magpies – and their head coach, Eddie Howe.

The England international had previously netted eleven goals in nine matches against Howe’s Bournemouth, including a brace in a quarter-final of this competition in December 2014.

Our first clean sheet since October 2 – away at Fulham – accompanied Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Sheffield United. That would almost certainly have pleased Pochettino as much as our dominance.

Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who made his Blues debut, had little to do but appeared comfortable passing out with either foot. The 6’4” Serbian had a different approach to screening free kicks and did not appear as eager as Robert Sanchez to claim high balls through a crowd of players.

Perhaps that was because Pochettino, despite having Malo Gusto available following injury, opted to field a four-man backline that consisted solely of aerially-dominant centre-backs.

For the record, Thiago Silva leads the way in the air for the Blues, having won the highest percentage of aerial challenges in the English top-flight, and ranking third across Europe’s top five leagues.

While the defence was untroubled and the midfield of Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo snuffed out any rare Sheffield United attacks, the Blues’ leading goal-creators only delivered the goods after the break.

Cole Palmer was switched with Sterling, taking an inverted wing role, and Gallagher pushed forward, producing far more buzz, fluidity, and penalty-box actions. Close-range finishes showed the value of finding space behind low-block sides.

Nicolas Jackson has already matched the seven goals scored by our leading league marksman last season. And across all competitions, he now has more goals than every player at league leaders Arsenal, except Bukayo Saka, with whom he is level on eight.

No Chelsea player has covered more pitch distance than Enzo Fernandez(45.19km in the Premier League) and the rested 22-year-old could return to the side tonight.

Christopher Nkunku, the pick-out from Chelsea’s pre-season, could finally feature in royal blue. The PSG Academy graduate shone in a rangey no.10 role against tonight’s opponents in the Premier League Summer Series friendly.

Noni Madueke is back in full training, but nine players will miss out through injury.

Goal contributions all comps 2023/24

Opposition scout – Newcastle

Coincidentally, Howe was the opposition manager during Chelsea’s past two League Cup quarter-finals in 2017 and 2018. The Blues beat Bournemouth on each occasion with late goals.

Howe has, however, had the measure of the Londoners on occasion, not least the November mauling at St James’ Park.

Despite voicing concern about fatigue and injuries, Howe may decide to hand four of the Magpies’ most pressed-upon players their eighth start in 24 days, while Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff, and Callum Wilson may be pressed into their second game in 77 hours straight after injury.

Both teams are without their regular custodian. Martin Dubravka is more of a traditional goalkeeper, less proactive in terms of claiming crosses, sweeping outside his area, and passing out from the back, but is still an agile, reactive shot-stopper.

Kieran Trippier (suspended on Saturday) and Anthony Gordon have been nursing issues that arose during last week’s home defeat by Milan but several others are definitely ruled out, including Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo, Sandro Tonali and Joe Willock.

Fabian Schar and Joelinton both hobbled off at Craven Cottage, and Alexander Isak is nursing a groin injury. Lewis Hall is eligible to face his parent club.

Key to nullifying the Magpies will be closing down wide creators, their attacking full-back Trippier and inverted winger Anthony Gordon, who have 12 assists between them.

Carabao Cup round dates

Semi-final

First leg: Week commencing 8 January, 2024

Second leg: Week commencing 21 January, 2024

Final

Sunday, 25 February, 2024

All fixtures except the final may be moved for live TV.

Carabao Cup regulations

The draw for two-legged semi-final ties will take place after the Liverpool-West Ham tie, around 10.15pm tomorrow (Wednesday). Other potential semi-final opponents are Everton or Fulham and lower league Port Vale or Middlesbrough.

Five substitutions (plus concussion replacements) are allowed in the competition but the VAR system is not yet in operation.

Unlike red cards, which incur suspensions across all domestic football, yellow cards in the Carabao Cup only count in that competition, with two cautions leading to a ban. The slate is wiped clean after the quarter-finals.

A clear result is required on the night and, up to the second leg of the semi-finals and the final itself, that will be achieved without extra time or replays. Instead, should the score be level after 90 minutes the match will be decided by penalties.

We lost our two most recent shoot-outs in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals at Wembley in 2022, both to Liverpool. Before that we won at home to Southampton in October 2021 in this competition.

Chelsea’s League Cup shootout record

History: Chelsea in League Cup quarter-finals

Newcastle edged a seven-goal thriller when the two teams last met in round three of the League Cup back in 2010.

Carlo Ancelotti’s much-changed side led, were pegged back, equalised, and then were dealt a killer blow by Shola Ameboi’s last-gasp header. By then the Blues were playing with ten men as Yossi Benayoun could not continue due to injury and all subs had been used.

The pair last met as quarter-finalists on Tyneside in December 2006, a 1-0 win for the Blues. The match winner was Didier Drogba, a week after coming off the bench to win a tight league encounter between the sides.

Didier celebrates scoring against Newcastle in 2006

His 17th in all competitions came from a smart set-piece, the Ivorian curling his shot with enough power to defeat Shay Given’s fingertips. Although Henrique Hilario rode his luck at times and Obafemi Martins hit the woodwork, the Londoners were good value for the win.

Two previous meetings at the Bridge in this competition also went the Londoners’ way. Frank Sinclair and Mick Harford set up a 2-1 victory in October 1992, then in December 2001 another quarter-final was decided in the 90th minute when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink converted Bolo Zenden’s inviting cross.

When the Magpies last claimed a major domestic trophy, the FA Cup in 1954/55, they faced league champions Chelsea in the Charity Shield in September the same year. The showpiece, played at the Bridge, ended 3-0 to the Blues through Roy Bentley, Frank Blunstone, and an Alf McMichael own goal.

USA 2025

Manchester City enter the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup tournament in Saudi Arabia at the semi-final stage today. It is a trophy Chelsea famously claimed in 2022 by beating Palmeiras to complete our full set of major honours.

FIFA confirmed this week that as winners of the 2021 Champions League the Blues (as well as 2023 winners City) have already qualified for the inaugural 32-club version, set for 15 June-13 July 2025 in the USA.