It's quarter-final time in the EFL Cup and Brentford's trip to St James' Park is one of the most intriguing ties as Newcastle look to take another step closer to their first major domestic trophy since 1955.
Eddie Howe came agonisingly close to ending the drought not long after taking charge on Tyneside, with his side reaching the showpiece two seasons ago only to lose to Manchester United at Wembley.
Newcastle had another good crack at it in the EFL Cup last term, getting their revenge on United and also knocking out Manchester City before a heartbreaking loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
They now find themselves in the last eight for a third year in a row and spirits are high after Saturday's 4-0 rout of Leicester, a game where two bets landed for me.
Brentford had a worse weekend as they lost 2-1 away to in-form Chelsea and their only win on the road this season came in a nervy 1-0 victory away to Colchester earlier in this tournament.
But they have been scoring for fun all season and have the firepower to hurt the Magpies if nerves start to kick in with that cherished trophy closing into sight.
How the bookies view it: Travel woes to continue for the Bees
With Brentford in such poor form on the road this season, it's easy to see why BoyleSports make them 4/1 outsiders for a win inside 90 minutes and 12/5 to reach the semis. Newcastle are just 3/10 to go through and the odds only increase to 1/2 for a win in normal time. The stalemate at 90 minutes pays 16/5.
Recent head to head: Brentford eye quick-fire double
These sides faced off in the Premier League earlier this month in London and it was Brentford who bossed it, claiming an impressive 4-2 win on a good day for Slips Tips. But the Magpies had dominated this fixture before that, winning five in a row.
Players to watch: Flash Gordon
Anthony Gordon was superb at the weekend on the left flank for Newcastle and caused Leicester untold problems with his pace and trickery. The winger is 7/4 at BoyleSports to score but I'm more drawn to the 10/3 on offer at Bet365 for an assist.
Bryan Mbeumo took his tally for the season into double figures when he netted Brentford's consolation in Sunday's loss to Chelsea. The forward is overpriced at 3/1 with BoyleSports for another goal while Bet365 have him 6/4 to either score or assist.
Probable line-ups
Keeper Nick Pope remains out for Newcastle along with defenders Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth. Joelinton is available as his suspension won't start until the next league game.
Mathias Jensen isn't quite ready to return for Brentford, while Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey are still some way off their own comebacks.
Newcastle United: Dubravka, Livramento, Burn, Schar, Hall, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Tonali, Gordon, Murphy, Isak.
Brentford: Flekken, Roserslev, Collins, Mee, Van Den Bergh. Yarmolyuk, Janelt, Mbeumo, Lewis-Potter, Wissa. Carvalho.
Anything else catch the eye?
With these sides battling out a six-thriller thriller earlier this month, this should be an entertaining cup tie. The bookies are certainly banking on a few goals, with BoyleSports pricing BTTS at just 4/7 and over 2.5 strikes paying only 1/2. Combining those two bets together takes you a decent 10/11 and I also like BTTS and no draw, which pays 6/5.
This match could be closer than the bookies predict so the half-time draw is another decent option at 7/5 with BoyleSports.
In that 4-2 Brentford win earlier this month, all three of the yellow cards dished out went to Thomas Frank's players. That suggests the Bees look decent value at 5/4 for most cards at Bet365, especially as they're away from home this time.
This EFL Cup match between Newcastle United and Brentford will be played on Dec 18, 2024 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs Brentford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
