Newcastle United have waited 68 long years to lift a major domestic trophy, having had glory ripped from their grasp back in February by bitter foes Manchester United in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.
Nevertheless, with the Red Devils, as well as Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, eliminated from the League Cup this time around, the lengthy wait could finally be over.
However, the Magpies must first get past Premier League strugglers Chelsea at St. James’ Park tonight and head coach Eddie Howe may have to piece together his side once more before they take to the field.
Newcastle team news
Having suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions over the past fortnight, Newcastle got back to winning ways with a massive 3-0 victory against ten-man Fulham at the weekend, keeping pressure on the rest of the top four.
Nonetheless, there was still a dark cloud which loomed overhead during the emphatic win as centre-back Fabian Schar was replaced within the first 15 minutes of the game, having suffered a buttock injury and was replaced by Emil Krafth, who has seen merely 217 minutes of action in the 2023/24 campaign.
Adding insult to injury, Joelinton limped off just after the half-hour mark and was replaced by teenage sensation Lewis Miley. The red card in the first half certainly helped Newcastle to cruise to victory, but Howe will be further concerned by an injury list which is growing and growing. The manager has already confirmed that both men face scans to be fit to take on the Blues tonight, but starting either could potentially cause further damage.
With that in mind, Howe does have another solution that is staring him right in the face.
Dan Burn’s stats this season
With Schar being taken off early into proceedings against Fulham, Howe made the wise decision to throw Dan Burn in at centre-back, with the 6 foot 7 giant starting the game at left-back. Tino Livramento was brought over to the left, while Krafth held down the right-back spot.
It was a tactical change that worked in Newcastle’s favour as the side kept a clean sheet and limited the visitors to merely six shots, which recorded an xG of just 0.28 as three of their shots came from outside the penalty area.
Furthermore, Burn managed to grab himself a goal late on against his former club, leaping highest at the back post and eventually bundling over the rebound to seal the three points. This was his third goal of the season in all competitions.
The Blyth-born defender came off two minutes later for Sven Botman, who made his return to the team after three months out with a knee injury, which was welcomed by the home fans. However, Burn’s performance at the back certainly can’t be discounted as he won 89% of his total duels during the game, including 100% of his aerial duels and even contributed to 0.76 xG of Newcastle’s total 3.51 xG, according to FotMob.
Goals
1
Shots
2
Expected Goals
0.76
Big Chances Missed
1
Touches
3
Passes Into Final Third
10
Interceptions
4
Defensive Actions
7
Recoveries
3
Duels Won
8
Duels Lost
1
Stats via FotMob
In addition, Burn has started 317 of his 450 career matches as a centre-half, including 21 with the Geordie club, so it certainly won’t be unfamiliar territory for him.
The 31-year-old has been solid as a rock under Howe this season once again and the £72k-per-week man even earned praise from Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand who called him “phenomenal” after Newcastle put Paris Saint-Germain to the sword earlier in the campaign.
While Botman is now back in the team, the Dutchman did just make a six-minute cameo at the end of the match and starting him against Chelsea could potentially aggravate his knee injury.
After Burn’s heroic showing on Saturday afternoon, Howe should keep the boyhood Newcastle fan in the starting lineup as a centre-back alongside Jamaal Lascelles in Schar’s absence, with Kieran Trippier and Livramento flanking the duo as the fullbacks.
