Newcastle face a trip to Hull City in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has told the club’s official website that he is anticipating a hard game when his side travel to Hull City in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup at the end of November.
A trip to the KCOM Stadium was his side’s reward for their 6-0 win over Preston North End on Tuesday night but the Spaniard has hope his side can come through against Premier League opposition.
He told the official Newcastle United website: “At this stage of the competition, there were a lot of Premier League sides so it was always likely to be a difficult tie.
“We have confidence, because we are doing well, but we have a lot of respect for Hull because they are a Premier League team and we will play away from home.
“So we will approach the game with hope that we can do well – but also knowing that it will be a hard game against a side from a higher league.”
Benitez will hope that his side can keep up their recent good form between now and then so that they can go into their clash with the Tigers full of confidence.
Newcastle currently sit three points clear of the rest of the sides at the top of the Championship and are enjoying a very good run of form.
Hull City managed to overcome Championship opposition in the last round with a 2-1 win away to Bristol City, but have struggled for form in the Premier League of late – losing each of their last five games, which has put them in the relegation zone.
If the trend for both clubs continues then many will fancy Newcastle to pull off a win to book their place in the last four – but Benitez is not thinking too far ahead.
However, the Magpies have a manager who is no stranger to masterminding victories in cup competitions, and they will hope their cup journey can continue beyond late November.
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