Eddie Howe has confirmed he will make changes to his Newcastle United starting XI for this evening’s FA Cup fourth round tie away to Birmingham City.
Spirits are high on Tyneside after Newcastle beat Arsenal on Wednesday to reach the Carabao Cup final, where they face Liverpool on Sunday, March 16.
The FA Cup is another opportunity for a cup run but like the third round against Bromley, Howe will use the visit to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park to give minutes to his fringe players.
"We will have to [make changes],” Howe confirmed. “Mentally and physically, it would be a difficult ask for the same players to go again and give the same energy as they did in Wednesday's game.
"We don’t have a huge squad in terms of depth, especially with the injuries we picked up with Sven [Botman] and Joelinton out but we will pick a team that is strong enough to win and we will give opportunities to other players but they need to take their chance."
One player who is in line to start is striker Callum Wilson, who returned from eight weeks out with a hamstring injury as a late substitute during the Arsenal victory.
The 32-year-old has only started two matches since the start of 2024 but when asked about his fitness, Howe replied: “Yes, he's fine. I think Callum is very, very confident about his body at this moment in time. I think he's gone through several things slightly differently this time around in his recovery.
“He's done a lot of work. He's trained very hard for this moment. He's got a lot of miles behind him, so he feels robust, he feels strong.
“And I think in his eyes, he feels ready to start games and impact the team and play to his full potential. So, fingers crossed, his body responds in a positive way.”
Here’s how Newcastle United are predicted to line-up against the League One leaders:
5. LB: Matt Targett (on for Lewis Hall)
Targett started the last round win over Bromley on what was his first start since November 2023. | Getty Images
6. CM: Lewis Miley (in for Sandro Tonali)
Miley played in the No.6 role against Bromley in the previous and was one of Newcastle’s standout performers. | Getty Images
7. CM: Sean Longstaff (on for Sven Botman)
Longstaff has slipped down the pecking order in recent months so will be keen to impress. | Getty Images
8. CM: Joe Willock (in for Bruno Guimaraes)
Willock is regularly used as a substitute by Howe but will want to prove he can step up in Joelinton’s absence. | Getty Images