Match Preview
Newcastle United vrs Fulham
League Cup Quarter Final 25/26 at St. James' Park
Wednesday 17th December 2025 KO: 20:15
Referee:
Darren England (Barnsley)
Live on Sky Sports and ITV1
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St James' Park will play host to an intriguing EFL Cup affair on Wednesday evening, as Premier League rivals Fulham and Newcastle United lock horns in the quarter-finals.
Fulham have overcome Bristol City, Cambridge United and Wycombe Wanderers while Newcastle have beaten Bradford City and Tottenham Hotspur in the competition thus far.
Fulham's only previous defeat to Newcastle in the League Cup came in the last-16 stage of the 1974-75 competition, but Marco Silva's side have already lost at St James' Park this season, going down 2-1 in the Premier League back in October.
The London club have had to win three matches to secure their spot in this round of the 2025-26 EFL Cup, beating Bristol City 2-0, Cambridge United 1-0 and Wycombe Wanderers on a penalty shootout, so it has been a bit of a struggle in this season's competition.
Fulham have never won the League Cup, so history can be created this season, and Silva would go down as a legendary figure if he could deliver the trophy.
The visitors will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 success over Burnley, with the result leaving them 13th in the Premier League table, two points behind Newcastle.
Fulham have actually scored more goals (23) than Newcastle (21) in the Premier League this season, and the capital outfit will be aiming to secure their spot in the final four of the League Cup at the expense of their Premier League rivals.
Newcastle will enter Wednesday's match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in the Premier League, with the result leaving the Magpies down in 12th spot in the Premier League table, four points off fifth-placed Crystal Palace.
The loss to their biggest rivals was a major setback for Newcastle, and Eddie Howe's side have struggled for consistency in the opening months of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Magpies are the holders of the EFL Cup, having beaten Liverpool in the 2024-25 final, with the competition bringing their first domestic trophy since the 1954-55 FA Cup.
Newcastle recorded a 4-1 victory over Bradford City in their first match in this season's competition before beating Tottenham 2-0 last time out, and Howe's team will now be aiming to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the competition.
The Magpies have only ever faced Fulham on three previous occasions in the League Cup, with their last two meetings coming in 1981, and it was the London club that won 4-1 on aggregate over the two legs of the second-round fixture.
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Source Matt Law at SportsMole