Howe hopes the Magpies can take a step closer to ending their drought

Eddie Howe is hoping his side will “achieve something special” and claim Newcastle’s first silver medal in 69 years in the EFL Cup this season.

The Magpies have not won a domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup, but go into tomorrow night’s quarter-final clash with Brentford as favorites for a place in the last four.

Howe said: “That’s why we came here.” I made it very clear when I arrived in Newcastle that this was what I wanted to achieve. I speak on behalf of the players and coaches on this matter.

“When you get to this part of the competition, it’s important to realize that that’s our goal and what we’re trying to do. The game is very important when you reach the final stages.

“We want to be a team that can cross the line and achieve something special. When you go through the competition, the journeys are very difficult and nothing can be taken lightly from our side.”

Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media ahead of time # New in the Carabao Cup quarter-final tomorrow 🗣️

You can watch today’s press conference live on the Official Newcastle United App 📲 pic.twitter.com/CnMcZI3JvY

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 17, 2024

Beaten by the Bees at the last meeting

Newcastle faced Brentford in the Premier League earlier in the month, losing 4-2 in north-west London but bounced back at the weekend with a 4-0 win over Leicester City.

Howe said: “It’s a fun game to look back at different things. Brentford went to Chelsea and played a different style but they didn’t stray too far from their principles.

“In fact if you look back at the game, we weren’t where we needed to be defensively, which was a surprise for us on the back of the Liverpool game. It was good to see us get back on our defensive footing against Leicester, I think it will be a big thing for us because we scored back.”

Given their desire to end their trophy drought, Newcastle will likely go with a strong team tomorrow night.

“Every game is a cup final,” Howe said. “When you’re managing Newcastle, you can’t afford to lose any game and every team I pick has that mentality – I always think this team can win and I’ll try to do that tomorrow.”