Crystal Palace will be looking to burst Newcastle United’s bubble this evening as they travel to St. James’ Park to face the Magpies in the EFL Cup.
Palace come into this game on the back of a last-minute winner at West Ham United on Sunday, a win that saw Patrick Viera’s side climb into the top 10 in the Premier League and move seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Newcastle come into this game off the back of a thumping 4-1 win over Southampton at the weekend, in which attacker Miguel Almiron scored for the fifth game in a row. The Magpies currently sit in the top four of the Premier League and will be looking at the EFL Cup as a good opportunity to win some silverware after a long period without.
Palace had to scrape past League One side Oxford United in the second round, while Eddie Howe’s Newcastle had to come from behind to win a battling contest against League Two outfit Tranmere Rovers.
Tonight's cup match is a big chance for Palace to knock out a rival and advance to the last 16 draw. Here at FLW, we have taken a look at the latest Crystal Palace team news in order to see who could potentially play in tonight’s cup tie.
Jack Butland
The Crystal Palace goalkeeper is one casualty that the Premier League club faces ahead of this tie, as the 29-year-old remains out for the South London side.
The goalkeeper has been missing since breaking his finger in the club’s pre-season game against Manchester United. The former Stoke City player has so far missed 17 games this season, and his return date is still unknown.
Sam Johnstone
Johnstone is expected to get a rare start in this cup game against Newcastle, as the 29-year-old has only featured once this season.
After that appearance in the previous round against Oxford, the former West Brom goalkeeper is yet to make his Premier League debut for Palace, as he is playing second choice as Viera seems to prefer Vicente Guaita.
Johnstone seems to be Palace’s cup goalkeeper and will be hoping a start in tonight’s game against Premier League opposition will be a chance to see what he can do against decent opponents.
Malcolm Ebiowei
The 19-year-old attacker has yet to be given regular opportunities at Crystal Palace, despite his pedigree being on the rise after his performances for Derby County.
The young striker has only played 33 minutes of first team football under Viera but did feature as a second-half substitute in the victory over Oxford in the last round, and this tie may now be another chance Ebiowei could be given by Viera to try and impress.