Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce may be forced to make changes against Leicester City tonight, while Brendan Rodgers has said he will put out a strong side. The two sides go head-to-head in the second round of the Carabao Cup at St James’ Park, and both have ambitions of going far in the tournament with a trip to Wembley and the chance to win silverware the ultimate prize.
Bruce has said they are going all out to do well in the competition, while Foxes star Wes Morgan says before the season kicked off they put a cup run high on the agenda. Both would have been hoping for an easier game at this stage of the competition and it will be interesting to see what line-ups take to the field.
If Tuesday’s action in the competition is anything to go by then there will be changes plenty as managers have opted to rest players, and give others a chance to get game time.
Toon boss Bruce may not have much choice over who plays as he waits on the fitness of a number of key stars.
Defenders Jamaal Lascelles (calf) and Fabian Schar (ankle), midfielder Christian Atsu (knee) and frontmen Allan Saint-Maximin (hamstring), Miguel Almiron (ankle) and Joelinton (groin) all emerged from Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win at Tottenham carrying knocks.
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Saint-Maximin is likely to be missing for some time after suffering a recurrence of the injury which prevented him from playing any part at Norwich last weekend.
In addition, full-back DeAndre Yedlin (groin), central defender Florian Lejeune (knee) and strikers Dwight Gayle (hamstring) and Andy Carroll (ankle) continue to work their way back to full fitness. There could be a place in the squad for midfielder Matty Longstaff, the younger brother of Sean.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has indicated he will field a strong side at St James’ Park as he looks to improve upon quarter-final exits on penalties at the hands on Manchester City in each of the last two seasons.
Full-back Ben Chilwell is working his way back from a hip problem, but Rodgers otherwise has a full squad from which to choose. Match-winner Harvey Barnes and Premier League-winning captain Wes Morgan were both introduced from the bench at Sheffield United on Saturday, while Demarai Gray and Marc Albrighton were unused, and all four will hope for a chance.
Rodgers could be tempted to rest key men such as keeper Kasper Schmeichel, defender Jonny Evans, midfielders Youri Tielemans and James Maddison and striker Jamie Vardy, who have all played key roles in an unbeaten start to the campaign.
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