Newcastle United’s last chance to avoid another trophyless season is to conquer the FA Cup for the first time since 1954/55.
After overcoming fierce rivals Sunderland in the third round, courtesy of an overwhelming 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light, the Magpies take on Fulham in round four on Saturday. You can watch Newcastle on tv this weekend courtesy of ITV, who picked up this FA fixture earlier in January.
Eddie Howe’s injury-ravaged side head to Craven Cottage off the back of a morale-crushing 3-2 home defeat to perennial Premier League champions Manchester City.
Despite leading 2-1 at the break, Newcastle couldn’t cope with Kevin De Bruyne’s second-half entrance, as the Belgian wizard scored and assisted to inspire the Cityzens’ comeback.
As per French outlet Le10 Sport, Jose Mourinho has emerged as a genuine candidate to replace under-pressure Howe after Roma relieved him of his duties a week ago.
With the pressure mounting on Howe amidst the club’s rotten spell of five losses from their last six outings across all competitions, including a disheartening League Cup exit to Chelsea, victory in London is imperative.
However, Fulham can prove an unpleasant host after winning five of their last six matches on home turf, most recently dispatching lower-league Rotherham 1-0 in the previous FA Cup round.
Unlike Newcastle, the Cottagers are still in contention for the League Cup title, though they must overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit to move past Liverpool in their semi-final tie.
Since the return leg falls on Wednesday, fatigue could be a problem for Marco Silva’s men, increasing the likelihood of the Magpies’ fourth consecutive triumph in West London.
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Since a 1-0 victory in 2016, when both teams were in the Championship, Fulham have lost three straight home league games against Newcastle by a combined score of 10-1.
As if their ominous-looking home record isn’t troubling enough, Silva’s charges slumped to a disastrous 3-0 defeat at St James’ Park in mid-December after falling to ten men midway through the first half.
But as aforementioned, they can rely upon their inspiring run of form at Craven Cottage, knowing Arsenal and West Ham United were amongst the sides to have fallen victim to their home prowess in the last month.
Further confidence comes from Fulham’s defensive resilience in the capital, which has seen them keep a clean sheet in three of their last five home outings.
Unless Howe can find a way to reinvigorate his faltering squad, Newcastle could be staring down the barrel of a ninth successive winless away fixture against top-tier opposition. Even though they have a relatively easier set of fixtures in February, progress in the FA cup will serve to bost morale and shore up Howe’s position at the helm.
Indeed, before easing past second-tier Sunderland, his men had suffered a humiliating seven defeats on eight domestic and continental travels, except for a 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain.
The last time they left Tyne to face a Premier League rival, Liverpool thrashed them 4-2 at Anfield whilst generating an incredible 7.2 xG, exposing all of their vulnerabilities at the back.
Speaking of Newcastle’s defensive frailties, you’d need to look at a 3-0 rout of Manchester United in the League Cup back in November to find their last away shutout of a top-flight tenant.
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In addition to long-term absentee Adama Traore, Fulham will be without the injured duo Calvin Bassey and Fode Ballo-Toure and Alex Iwobi, who’s away on international duty with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
On the other hand, Newcastle’s long-standing injury crisis has slightly subsided. But the list remains substantial, with Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes and Matt Targett still ruled out.
Sandro Tonali’s out due to suspension, but there’s a chance for Callum Wilson and Joelinton to make the matchday squad after sitting out the Man City game.
Fulham potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Kenny Tete, Tosin Aderabioyo, Issa Diop, Antonee Robinson; Joao Palhinha, Tom Cairney; Willian, Harry Wilson, Andreas Pereira; Raul Jimenez.
Newcastle United potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Martin Dubravka; Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn; Lewis Miley, Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff; Miguel Almiron, Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak.
