Newcastle face the same opponents that ended their six-game winning run, as they take on Wolves in the EFL Cup third round this evening.
Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark has told the Chronicle that the squad would like a strong showing in the EFL Cup this season.
The Magpies are in action tonight against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as they look to put right the 2-0 defeat suffered at the hands of the same opponents from the weekend.
Wolves ended Newcastle’s six-game winning run, with the club now third in the Championship and Clark says the league still remains the priority.
He told the Chronicle: “It’s a chance, but it’s one of those things, you take each game as it comes. But the further you can get in a tournament the better.
“Then whoever you get you deal with them at the time. The league is the bread and butter but anything else is a bonus really.”
Given the size of the squad at Rafa Benitez’s disposal, there is an opportunity for him to rotate yet take the cup competitions seriously at the same time.
The obvious priority for Newcastle is to return to the top flight at the first time of asking, but going on a cup run and possibly causing a few upsets along the way can do wonders for the side’s confidence both in the immediate future and for any further meetings with those opponents who could be in the Premier League.
Tonight represents an opportunity for Newcastle to get the weekend’s disappointment out of their system. A win would see them in the last 16 of the competition which could see them face one of the competition’s favourites, or possibly a path open up for them to really get to the latter stages of the competition.
After some disappointing cup displays in recent years, there is an opportunity to show they are capable of mixing it with very good sides in this tournament.
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