Brentford prioritising Newcastle United match with team selection today v Reading?

It is Brentford v Newcastle United on Tuesday.

That League Cup quarter-final a 5.30pm kick-off live on Sky Sports, for the right to play a semi-final in the first week of January.

Ahead of that though, both clubs have Saturday matches.

Newcastle v Fulham at 8pm on Saturday night and no indication from Steve Bruce as to whether he is prioritising either Saturday (today) or Tuesday. Tuesday will be the fourth match in a ten day spell stretching from the West Brom match last Saturday and difficult to see key players such as Callum Wilson starting all four. However, at Friday’s press conference it didn’t appear to be even raised as a question, what Steve Bruce intended to do as Newcastle try to reach their first League Cup semi-final since 1976.

The last time Newcastle got to the League Cup quarter-finals, Rafa Benitez played a weakened team in the Championship (in 2016/17) and NUFC lost 1-0 at home to Blackburn, who scored with their only shot on target, It all counted for nothing in the end as the stronger team that Rafa played at then Premier League Hull, were unluckily defeated, having gone ahead in extra-time, Matz Sels gifted them an equaliser, then predictably Newcastle lost the penalty shootout.

Ahead of Newcastle United playing tonight, sixth placed Brentford hosted fifth place Reading in a 3pm kick-off.

So did Thomas Frank choose to save players for Newcastle United on Tuesday?

It doesn’t look like it, as nine of the starting eleven who got a 1-1 draw at Watford on Tuesday night, have also started this afternoon.

Centre-back Pinnock couldn’t play as he was red carded on Tuesday, whilst right-back Dalsgaard started at Watford but doesn’t start today, though his absence entirely from today’s matchday squad points to his also having been an enforced absence.

Brentford play Cardiff on Saturday and the Bees were only three points ahead of the Welsh club before today’s matches.

So many matches in the Championship and very competitive for the promotion places, so it is difficult for the likes of Brentford boss Thomas Frank to rest players in favour of cups games such as Newcastle.

It will be interesting to see if Brentford  go full strength on Tuesday night as well.

The good news for Brentford, not so good for Newcastle United, is that the Bees have quickly gone into a 3-0 lead inside 29 minutes, with goals from Jensen and Mbeumo (2), so very likely he could be in a position to rest key players such as Ivan Toney for much / all of the second-half, saving them for the cup quarter-final.

As you can see below, Newcastle United could have as many as 12 games in the next six weeks, starting with Fulham tonight.

Newcastle United upcoming matches:

Sat 19 December

Newcastle v Fulham (8pm) – Sky Sports

Tuesday 22 December

Brentford v Newcastle (5.30pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 26 December

Man City v Newcastle (8pm) BT Sport

Wednesday 30 December

Liverpool v Newcastle (8pm) – Amazon Prime 

Sunday 3 January 

Newcastle v Leicester (2.15pm) Sky Sports

Tuesday 5 January / Wednesday 6 January

***If Newcastle beat Brentford, their League Cup semi-final would be played on one of these nights.

Saturday 9 January 

Arsenal v Newcastle (FA Cup third round) – (5.30pm) BBC1

Tuesday 12 January 

Sheffield Utd v Newcastle(6pm) Sky Sports

Monday 18 January 

Arsenal v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Weekend of Saturday 23 January

FA Cup fourth round weekend

Tuesday 26 January

Newcastle v Leeds (6pm) BT Sport

Saturday 30 January 

Everton v Newcastle (12.30pm) BT Sport