Three questions Steve Bruce will be looking at when Newcastle face Burnley tonight

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Newcastle will get their EFL Cup campaign underway tonight when they face Burnley.

Sean Dyche will bring his side to St James’ Park for an all-Premier League tie.

Newcastle have lost their matches so far this season but here is a look at three questions Steve Bruce will be pondering pre-match…

How much does he rotate?

Newcastle have been rightly pilloried for not taking the cup competitions seriously enough in recent years.

The poor start to the league campaign could influence Bruce’s team selection in one of two ways.

It might convince him to play a stronger team to try and get off the mark here.

Or, he might be convinced he needs to rest his best players for the league and make a host of changes.

Whatever he does, an early cup exit wouldn’t go down well, on the back of last season’s EFL Cup debacle at Brentford.

How do they repeat last season’s trick?

Newcastle did the double over Burnley last season, winning 3-1 at home and 2-1 away.

Bruce needs to find that formula again tonight. Dyche’s men have lost both their games this term too.

That makes this one a level playing field, with both sides scratching around slightly for confidence.

Last season’s victories may offer some kind of psychological advantage. That’s what Bruce will hope anyway.

Can he stop the mood turning?

We wrote today that it could get ugly for Bruce doesn’t get a win tonight.

It’s up to the manager to stop the mood from turning and make sure that the EFL Cup provides a welcome distraction rather than a continuation of the league misery.

Six goals conceded so far is not a pretty sight for a manager who tries to play it cagey and hit teams on the break.

It might be the third game of the campaign, but it could set the tone for the days and weeks ahead already.

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