Newcastle United booked their place in the last eight by beating their Championship rivals 6-0.
Rafael Benitez has claimed that you can never say never when asked if Newcastle United can win the EFL Cup after booking their place in the last eight of the competition, the Daily Mirror reports.
The Magpies carried their scintillating form in the Championship over to their cup clash this week as they thrashed second tier rivals Preston North End 6-0 at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United’s manager Rafael Benitez and Preston manager Simon Grayson
And while they will be one of just two teams from outside the top flight that finds themselves in the hat for the quarter-final draw, Benitez has insisted that they cannot be ruled out.
“Can we win it? You have to understand the difference between Premier League and Championship. But never say never. I only concentrate on playing Preston again on Saturday,” he said, as reported by the Mirror.
“The only message is try to win every game. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Although there is a high chance that Newcastle will face a Premier League side in the next round, their current form suggests that they will be more than capable of competing with whichever team comes out of the hat.
Benitez’s men have won their last six games in all competitions. And during that run, they have kept four clean sheets, conceded just four goals – three of which came against Norwich – and have scored an eye-watering 19 times.
And while there is a good chance that they will go into the next round as underdogs, there is surely no team that will be taking them lightly.
Newcastle United’s Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates scoring their fourth goal
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