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.

season – just three points and one place behind Chelsea in the Conference League spot – Newcastle targeted a serious push for a return to the Champions League in 2024-25 without the distractions of continental competition, but that mission has started slowly as the harsh winter months draw closer.

A four-match unbeaten run in the league at the beginning of the term provided cause for optimism on Tyneside, although the Magpies 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 on Sunday afternoon.

Goals either side of the half-time whistle from Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer did the damage to Newcastle, who momentarily restored parity in the contest courtesy of stuttering striker Alexander Isak, who has only managed two goals in his opening seven Premier League appearances.

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 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.