‘Making history’ - Bruno Guimaraes disagrees with Dan Burn on one thing at Newcastle United
Bruno Guimaraes is hellbent on retaining Newcastle United’s first piece of domestic silverware for 70 years.
Bruno Guimaraes has insisted that retaining the Carabao Cup is a huge priority for Newcastle United this season.
Jubilant scenes emanated around Wembley in March when the Magpies broke their 70-year domestic trophy curse. Guimaraes captained the side that day, becoming the first man to lift a trophy on Tyneside since Bobby Moncur in 1969.
Newcastle used to triumph as a springboard to secure Champions League qualification two months later. In doing so, Eddie Howe’s men are now dealing with a hectic fixture list, competing across four fronts.
Bruno Guimaraes targeting Carabao Cup
Tottenham Hotspur arrive at St James’ Park on Wednesday for a Carabao Cup fourth-round clash. Speaking ahead of the game, Toon skipper Guimaraes opened up about his goal of winning the cup again.
“It means a lot,” he said, as quoted by The Northern Echo. “We want to keep making history. We went 70 years without a win, but we can make it two in two. It's a big possibility, a big opportunity, so we don't want to miss it.
“It’s going to be a big game for us and we hope we're going to be ready to take advantage in the game. It’s a big moment, and even more because we won last season. We want to do it again, keep making history, against a great and very focused team.”
Dan Burn on Newcastle United priority
However, Dan Burn - the Wembley hero last time - believes Champions League qualification is the club’s top priority. A trophy in the bag last year has taken the pressure off, with a top-five finish now viewed as more important now the 70-year curse is broken.
“This season, our target is to get Champions League football again,” Burn told Football Focus last week. “There’s only once before in our history where we’ve achieved back-to-back Champions League seasons. It’s something that is a target for us.
“I know we haven’t started well but, if we want to hit that target, we need to kick on. I feel like you can slip away from the top and it’s hard to get back up there.”
And on the Champions League…
Burn also outlined reaching the knockout rounds as a realistic target for the club. He added: “In the Champions League, we want to get to the knockout stages. I don’t think we’ve done that before - so that’s the aim.”