Howe: Carabao Cup 'means a lot' to Magpies | OneFootball

The Magpies continue their defence of the trophy against a fellow Premier League side, having snatched a last-gasp victory over Fulham on Saturday thanks to Bruno Guimarães' late clincher.

Another win in midweek would make it three victories from three in three different competitions, and Howe wants that momentum to continue - although he admits he will have to "get the balance right" with his team selection if they are to progress.

Here are some of the main talking points from Tuesday's pre-match media briefing:

On Wednesday's game...

"It is important for this game to make the right decision - we want to progress. The competition means a lot to us, we are current holders, we don't want to give that up easily.

"However, I have a squad, I need to try and get the balance right... There are players who need the football."

On the fitness of Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento...

"Sven has no concussion - it was a cut, a bad cut (against Fulham), which he had stapled together. He didn’t train yesterday, but we will see how he is today.

"Lewis is the closest to coming back out of those injured, but this game will come too quickly for him.

"Tino is still on track. We are looking at the Manchester City game for him for when he can be available for."

On the importance of the Carabao Cup...

"We've had a lot of great experiences in this competition - the first final, the emotions after the game, feeling we could have done more on the pitch.

"The Chelsea defeat (in 2023/24) is still very painful - we had a chance to win the competition that year - but we put it right. We had a lot of tough opponents - we didn’t get to the final by luck. That experience, winning the cup, has helped us grow as a team."

On Thomas Frank's Spurs side...

"This will be a really tough game against a team that is in form away from home. It is going to be a real challenge for us. You can see his imprint on the team already - tactically he is very interesting, he is very versatile.

"His teams are very aggressive off the ball - they are very well organised. It is a good game for us, a tough game but one we look forward to."

On Will Osula's recent impact...

"Will is vitally important. He is quick, he is athletic. He has a good attitude and better know-how to manage game situations.

"He is now coming on the pitch looking like a complete package. Every time he has come on the pitch, he has performed.

"He's a great personality, a real zest for life, he has very close friendships. He is very serious about his work - he is very serious about his development and his game."