Newcastle get their EFL Carabao Cup campaign underway for another season on Wednesday, hoping to fare better than last year, when they crashed out at this stage to Nottingham Forest.
Steve Bruce has vowed to take both cup competitions seriously – something which has not been the case over previous seasons – and will hope to put a strong team out against Leicester on Wednesday.
But being paired against the Foxes is arguably the toughest game they could have been handed, with sides in European competitions not entering the competition until the next round.
It also could see summer departee Ayoze Perez make a quick return to St James’ Park, but whether or not he features remains to be seen.
Early team news
Newcastle will be without Allan Saint-Maximin, who aggravated his hamstring injury in the early stages of Sunday’s win at Tottenham.
Skipper Jamaal Lascelles also went off with a calf problem, and even if he recovered in time, he may be left out of the squad, with Federico Fernandez likely to deputise.
After the shift Joelinton put in against Spurs, in swealtering temperatures, it would not be too much of a surprise if he was kept on the bench for Wednesday’s tie.
None of the other injured squad members are set to be fit.
Leicester are without midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, while defender Ben Chilwell is doubtful.
Referee: Tim Robinson
This will be the first time the West Sussex official has been in charge of Newcastle since the last Championship campaign.
During that season, he was in charge for three games – two defeats and one win for the Magpies.
This season, he has refereed two Championship games, where he booked five players in Leeds’ 3-1 win at Bristol City, while he showed six yellow cards and awarded a penalty in the 2-2 draw between Stoke City and Derby County.
Points to prove
Much of the focus will be on Perez’s return, but it would be a surprise if he started the game. If he makes an appearance, he is likely to be given a less that warm welcome from the home fans – regardless of how few of them are expected to be at the game.
If some of Newcastle’s first team players from Sunday are carrying niggles, or physically worn out, some of those on the outside looking in will be hoping for an opportunity to impress.
It could be a huge game, therefore, for the likes of Yoshinori Muto, Matty Longstaff, and Jetro Willems.
If any of those get a chance to start, they will be giving everything to show they should be considered to start against Watford on Saturday.
Likely formations
Regardless of personnel, Newcastle are certain to stick to the same formation as Sunday, but being a home cup-tie, they could be given more of an offensive licence.
Where against Spurs, it was more of a back five, with the wing-backs sitting in more, after we gained the lead, Wednesday could see them playing further up the pitch in more of a 3-5-1-1 lineup.
Brendan Rodgers is more flexible with his formation, and having played a 4-1-4-1 in the Foxes’ first two games of the season, he reverted to a 4-3-3 for their win at Sheffield United in their last game.
With Ndidi out of the game, he is likely to stick to the winning formation, which means it is likely to be another 4-3-3 at St James’ Park.
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