Newcastle United and Tottenham will not have the benefit of extra-time or VAR in their Carabao Cup fourth-round clash on Wednesday night.
Given the relentless fixture schedules both teams have had to deal with already this season, however, that may prove a welcome relief for both Eddie Howe and Thomas Frank.
Newcastle United and Spurs have had to battle across a number of different competitions this season and the FA Cup is still to come.
Both teams have been competing in the Premier League and the Champions League and enter the last-16 of the Carabao Cup off the back of wins over Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers respectively.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes of action at St James’ Park, it will be a straight shootout for a place in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
Carabao Cup does not use extra-time until the final at Wembley
Indeed, the competition will not use extra-time until the final is played.
The English Football League (EFL) scrapped the use of extra-time throughout most stages of the Carabao Cup ahead of the 2018-19 season in an effort to reduce “additional fatigue issues”.
VAR will also not be used, despite the technology being available at St James’ Park. With EFL teams (who do not use VAR in league matches) still in the competition, it is not used until the final.
However, if all the teams left remaining are in the Premier League, it can be used from the semi-finals onwards.
Newcastle United’s recent record in Carabao Cup penalty shootouts
Last season, Newcastle won a penalty shootout on their way to winning the trophy. They beat Nottingham Forest 5-4 at the City Ground in August 2024, with Sean Longstaff netting the winning spot-kick.
During the 2023/24 campaign, Howe’s side lost 5-3 on penalties away at Chelsea to exit the competition at the quarter-final stage.
Prior to that, they beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in a penalty shootout in November 2022 to reach the last-16. Newcastle eventually reached the final that season but lost to Manchester United at Wembley.
Under Howe’s watch, Newcastle have won two Carabao Cup penalty shootouts but have also ended up on the losing side on one occasion.
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