Magpies and Cottagers Lock Horns in Intriguing EFL Cup Quarter-Finals Tie

Newcastle United vs Fulham

Two bottom-half teams from the Premier League table will vie for a spot in the EFL Cup semi-finals, as Newcastle United host Fulham at St. James’ Park on Wednesday evening. 

The Magpies are the defending champions after winning it all last season, and they have beaten Bradford City and Tottenham in the competition thus far. Meanwhile, Fulham have overcome Bristol City, Cambridge United, and Wycombe Wanderers to make it to the quarter-finals.

Eddie Howe’s men will enter Wednesday’s match off the back of a 1-0 loss to Sunderland in the Premier League, which puts them down in 12th in the English top-flight standings. On the other hand, Marco Silva’s side improved to 14th place after a 3-2 away win at Burnley last weekend.

Expect an all-out contest from these two sides, and you can learn more about them in today’s SBOTOP match preview.

 

Talking Points

Newcastle United could hand Wissa his full debut

Newcastle United received a lineup boost after it was confirmed that Yoane Wissa will not join DR Congo in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, and this will be his chance to prove his worth after joining from Brentford last summer.

After dealing with injuries at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, Wissa finally made his Newcastle United debut in a 2-1 win over Burnley earlier this December. He came on as a 75th-minute substitute, becoming the 1,000th player to suit up for the Magpies in a league fixture. 

Three games later and with no injury setbacks, Wissa could make his full debut against Fulham if manager Eddie Howe plans to rotate his squad. Howe may opt to rest Nick Woltemade, given the busy schedule, as they’re also competing in the Champions League. Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock, and Fabian Schar could also start after coming off the bench against Sunderland.

The Magpies will miss several key players against the Cottagers, as Dan Burn (rib), Nick Pope (muscle), Kieran Trippier (hamstring), and William Osula (ankle) are in the medical room, and Sven Botman (back) is questionable to play. Among them, Burn is likely a long-term absentee after sustaining a punctured lung against the Black Cats.

 

Lineups blows won’t discourage Fulham

Speaking of the Africa Cup of Nations, Fulham are affected by it, as they will miss the services of Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze, and Alex Iwobi over the next few weeks. Nonetheless, manager Marco Silva will name a strong side in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Harry Wilson leads the Cottagers in scoring with five goals, and Raul Jimenez, Josh King, and Kevin could join him in the final third. Furthermore, Fulham will be without Rodrigo Muniz (thigh) and Ryan Sessegnon (thigh) against the Magpies.

Fulham have actually scored more goals (23) than Newcastle United (21) in the English top-flight so far this season, making them a dangerous team to deal with.

 

History

Newcastle United are the defending EFL Cup champions, having defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the final last year, their first major domestic trophy since 1955. On the other hand, Fulham have never won the EFL Cup.

These two teams faced off only three times in the EFL Cup, with their last two meetings in 1981. The Cottagers won 4-1 on aggregate over the two legs of the second-round fixture. Fulham’s only previous defeat to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup came in the Round of 16 of the 1974-75 edition.

Fulham have already lost at St. James’ Park this season, going down 2-1 in the Premier League back in October, as Jacob Murphy and Bruno Guimaraes were on the scoresheet for the Magpies, and Sasa Lukic scored a consolation goal for the Cottagers.

 

Betting Tip

The EFL Cup 2025 odds have Newcastle United as the favourites to win on Wednesday. Because they’re playing at home, the Magpies are priced at 1.72, whereas the Cottagers are 4.26 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.51 in the 1X2 market. Fulham can give Newcastle United problems, but the hosts should utilise their homecourt advantage to see this through.

Fans at St. James’ Park will get their usual dose of EFL Cup 2025 highlights, and a clean sheet seems like a long shot. Besides our recommended bet, bettors may also consider adding Over 2.50 at 1.80, Total Goals 2-3 at 1.94, and even Over 3.00 at 2.38 to the parlay. Moreover, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of the Magpies – the result of their last league encounter in October – could yield a robust payday of 7.10.

   

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