Howe hopes Magpies can take another step towards ending long trophy drought

Eddie Howe desperately hopes his team can “achieve something special” and claim Newcastle’s first major silverware in 69 years in the EFL Cup this season.

The Magpies have not won a domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup but go into tomorrow night’s quarter-final clash against Brentford as favorites to secure a place in the last four.

Howe said: “That’s what we’re here for. I made it very clear when I arrived in Newcastle that that’s what I wanted to achieve. I speak on behalf of the players and the coaching staff in that sense.

“When you get to this part of the competition it is important to recognize that this is our goal and what we are trying to do. These games take on great importance when you reach the later stages.

“We want to be the team that can get over the line and achieve something special. “As the competition progresses, these rounds are very challenging and we will not take anything for granted on our part.”

Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before #NEW tomorrow in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup 🗣️

You can watch today’s press conference live on the official Newcastle United app 📲 pic.twitter.com/CnMcZI3JvY

—Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 17, 2024

Hit by bees in the last meeting

Newcastle faced Brentford in the Premier League earlier this month, losing 4-2 in north-west London, but bounced back at the weekend with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Leicester City.

Howe said: “It’s an interesting game to remember a few things about. Brentford went to Chelsea and played a different system, but they didn’t deviate too much from their principles.

“Ultimately, when you look back at the game, we weren’t where we needed to be in the defensive aspect of our game, mainly, which was strange for us because of Liverpool’s performance. “It was good to see us get back to our best defensive level against Leicester, I think that will be the most important thing for us because we back each other to score goals.”

Given their desperation to end their trophy drought, Newcastle are likely to opt for a strong team tomorrow night.

“Every game is a cup final,” Howe said. “When you manage Newcastle you can’t afford to lose any games and certainly any team I choose has that vision; It is always with the vision that I believe this team can win and I will certainly try to do it tomorrow. “