Eddie Howe drops Newcastle selection hint ahead of facing Chelsea in the Carabao Cup

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Eddie Howe is pondering what changes to make for Newcastle United’s second game against Chelsea this week.

Newcastle were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea on Sunday, as the Blues triumphed at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Now the venue and competition is changing, as St James’ Park prepares to host the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

The Magpies face Chelsea once again, and Enzo Maresca will probably make plenty of changes. He has that luxury, as his first-team squad is absolutely massive. For example, he made 10 changes to the team that beat Panathinaikos, with Pedro Neto the only player to retain his place against Newcastle.

Eddie Howe comments on changing his Newcastle starting XI against Chelsea on Wednesday

Eddie Howe would also love to make that many changes, but that is only possible if you possess real depth.

That is something that the Newcastle United manager is not blessed with, and he has told BBC Match Of The Day that he might not be able to make as many changes as he would like on Wednesday night.

“We are probably not in the position where we can make as many as we would like,” he said.

“We will try and make the right decisions for both games. We want to try and go as far as we can.”

Midfield changes most likely for Newcastle’s Carabao Cup clash

If Howe had a fully fit squad, he would be able to rotate his side for what is a very important cup game against Chelsea.

However, he has various players missing, while the clash with the Blues is even more important given Newcastle’s recent form.

Howe absolutely must put out a strong team, whilst also giving some fringe players the chance to start.

With that in mind, the most likely changes will be in midfield. Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff were both on the bench on Sunday, and feel certain to start in the Carabao Cup.

Howe may also be forced to keep Alexander Isak in the team. That is because Callum Wilson is ruled out with injury, while it remains to be seen if Will Osula will be trusted to start against a team as good as Chelsea.