On the back of their first defeat of the 2024-25 season, Newcastle United seek to right the wrongs of the weekend in Tuesday's EFL Cup third-round clash with AFC Wimbledon.
Eddie Howe's side lost their unbeaten streak in a 3-1 loss to Fulham in Saturday's Premier League affair, while their fourth-tier hosts played out a goalless stalemate with Bradford City.
Match preview
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Not the first team to be haunted by Fulham's former Arsenal proteges - and probably not the last - Newcastle were left to lament an atrocious beginning to Saturday's trip to Craven Cottage, where Raul Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe quickly propelled the Cottagers into a two-goal advantage.
Another slick finish from Harvey Barnes right at the start of the second half offered Eddie Howe's men a small sliver of hope, which was then crushed when Fabian Schar spurned a golden chance from a Bernd Leno howler and Reiss Nelson capitalised on a rare Bruno Guimaraes blunder.
Missing the chance to move to the Premier League summit on account of their Fulham failure, Newcastle now hit the road again for a far more winnable fixture, although they made hard work of their penalty shootout success over Nottingham Forest in EFL Cup round two.
Nearing the 70-year mark since their last major trophy - triumphing in the 1954-55 FA Cup - collecting a long-awaited piece of silverware is surely the next step in Newcastle's post-takeover transformation, and they have made it past the third round of the EFL Cup in each of the last two seasons.
Barnes's consolation at Craven Cottage at least extended Newcastle's streak of scoring in all of their games so far this season, but Howe's men are also without a clean sheet in five, offering a crumb of encouragement to their in-form League Two hosts.
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As is the case with their more distinguished visitors, Wimbledon also booked their ticket to the EFL Cup third round by beating Premier League opposition on penalties, conjuring up one of the shocks of the second round by eliminating Ipswich Town.
Johnnie Jackson's outfit were moments away from securing a remarkable 2-1 win in normal time, but Conor Chaplin's 86th-minute equaliser for Ipswich just delayed the Tractor Boys's exit, as Owen Goodman lived up to his surname in goal during the 12-yard shootout, stopping Omari Hutchinson and Jack Taylor's penalties.
Goodman's heroic feats appear to have rubbed off onto his defenders, as Wimbledon host Newcastle having kept three straight clean sheets in League Two, edging out Fleetwood Town 1-0 and crushing MK Dons 3-0 in a grudge match before the weekend's goalless draw with Bradford.
Already making an early play for League One promotion, Jackson's team reside in fifth place in the League Two table and have strung together a six-game unbeaten run in all tournaments - winning five of them - while also prevailing in each of their last seven competitive matches at Plough Lane.
Such a streak means that Wimbledon are certainly not to be taken lightly by their revered foes, and by sending Ipswich packing, the hosts made the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time in their short-lived history - a maiden fourth-round appearance may prove much harder to come by, though.
Team News
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One positive for Newcastle to take from their loss to Fulham was seeing none of their troops withdrawn through injury, leaving Lewis Miley (foot), Callum Wilson (back), Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman (both knee) in the treatment room.
Howe opted for a formidable starting XI in their second-round win over Nottingham Forest, but the Magpies boss will certainly shuffle the pack considerably here, especially with none other than Manchester City to come at the weekend.
As a result, Sandro Tonali, Lewis Hall, Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron could all be drafted into the visitors' XI, while Martin Dubravka ought to inherit the goalkeeper's gloves from Nick Pope; summer signing Odysseas Vlachodimos is still out in the cold.
Wimbledon also came through their stalemate with Bradford City unscathed, although captain Jake Reeves picked up an ankle injury in the thrashing of MK Dons earlier this month and could not take part in Saturday's game.
Jackson revealed before the game that the 31-year-old's issue had settled down quickly, so there is a chance that he could return to sport the armband on Tuesday, but the hosts are otherwise in strong shape.
After his penalty heroics in the Ipswich victory, 20-year-old Goodman now hopes to take inspiration from Dean Henderson's exceptional display for Crystal Palace against Manchester United; the youngster is on loan at Wimbledon from the Eagles.
AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:
Goodman; Ogundere, Harbottle, Lewis; Biler, Maycock, Ball, Smith, Tilley; Bugiel, Stevens
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Livramento, Krafth, Schar, Hall; Longstaff, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Osula, Almiron
We say: AFC Wimbledon 0-3 Newcastle United
Staunch defending has come naturally to Wimbledon in recent weeks, and the hosts should be paid the respect that they deserve from Newcastle after already dumping out one top-flight side.
However, even a second-string Magpies team should make light work of their League Two opponents, as Howe gets the response he is after to the weekend's disappointment.
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