Eddie Howe sends AFC Wimbledon warning to Newcastle United | OneFootball

Newcastle United will host AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday evening in the EFL Cup

Eddie Howe has issued a warning to his Newcastle United players ahead of their midweek Carabao Cup clash against AFC Wimbledon.

The Magpies will host the League Two side on Tuesday evening after the original fixture had to be postponed due to severe damage to Wimbledon’s pitch.

The cup clash has been moved to St. James’ Park as a result, with the winner set to face Chelsea at home at the end of October.

Newcastle come into the game off the back of a 1-1 draw against Premier League champions Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Johnnie Jackson’s side are sixth in the League Two table, having won four of their opening six fixtures.

Eddie Howe issues AFC Wimbledon cup clash warning

Howe warned his Newcastle side of underestimating the form that Wimbledon are in at the minute ahead of Tuesday’s cup meeting.

He has hinted that a strong starting lineup will be chosen, as the Premier League club looks to earn a place in the fourth round of the competition.

“We are looking forward to welcoming them,” said Howe, via the Newcastle United Twitter account.

“For us, we take the game seriously.

“They have started the season well, they are a strong team and are very good from set plays.

“Defensively they have been excellent this season too, we have a challenge to break them down.”

Newcastle donated £15,000 to Wimbledon following the damage to their pitch at Plough Lane, with the fourth-tier side looking to raise £50,000 to pay for a fix.

The campaign raised more than the £50,000 they were asking for, after flooding caused the pitch to become unplayable, leading them to raise the target to £150,000.

Wimbledon will now be hoping to use that money to return the surface to a playable condition again as quickly as possible, with the team already two games behind most of their League Two rivals.

AFC Wimbledon league position

Wimbledon have only played six League Two games so far this season, with the rest of the top seven having already had eight fixtures.

Despite the two fewer games played, Wimbledon occupy a place inside the play-off places and are only six points behind leaders Gillingham.

Jackson’s team have conceded just four from their six games, scoring nine, and earning 13 points from a possible 18.

The two sides will meet in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday evening at St. James’ Park in a 7.45pm kick-off.

Newcastle will have their sights set on silverware this year

Newcastle narrowly missed out on winning the EFL Cup two seasons ago, with Howe’s side losing the final at Wembley Stadium.

That was the club’s closest chance at major silverware in many years, and the Englishman will be targeting a similar run over the coming months.

The Tyneside outfit have never won this competition, twice losing the final, and have not won a domestic cup honour since their FA Cup triumph in 1955.

Despite the donation of £15,000 to help out Wimbledon, the League Two side will still be eyeing a major upset of their own midweek in order to earn another huge tie against rivals Chelsea.