The Independent

Nick Woltemade’s sixth goal of the season sealed holders Newcastle’s passage to a fourth-successive Carabao Cup quarter-final as Tottenham became their latest victims.

Woltemade’s second-half header wrapped up a 2-0 win set in motion by Fabian Schar’s 24th-minute opener to leave the home contingent among a crowd of 51,216 at St James’ Park dreaming of a return to Wembley.

The victory was all the more impressive because of the eight changes head coach Eddie Howe made and while the Magpies needed goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale’s intervention on more than one occasions as Spurs pushed, the visitors could have few arguments with the outcome.

Howe retained only Dan Burn, Malick Thiaw and Woltemade from the side which started Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Fulham, while opposite number Thomas Frank rested Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani.

It was the Magpies who made the brighter start, Thiaw seeing his header from a fifth-minute Sandro Tonali – the Italy international was imperious throughout – free-kick saved by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky before Joe Willock’s follow-up was blocked.

Jacob Ramsey’s attempt was smothered at source after he had been played in by Dan Burn three minutes later, but Thiaw had to be at his best at the other end within seconds to throw himself into the path of Richarlison’s drive.

Harvey Barnes dragged a 12th-minute shot into the side-netting after Woltemade had built upon a fine link-up between Anthony Elanga, Joe Willock and Tonali, turning expertly before sliding his team-mate in.

The visitors gradually eased their way into the game with Xavi Simons prominent, but they fell behind with 24 minutes gone when Schar met Tonali’s corner – which was delayed by Djed Spence re-tying his bootlaces – with a firm downward header, prompting ultimately-futile protests from the visitors that the defender had not been allowed to get back into position.

Spurs might have been level through their most fluent attack of the half 13 minutes before the break when Brennan Johnson headed the ball into the path of the unmarked Lucas Bergvall, but his cross fell behind Richarlison and the midfielder only just failed to reach Johnson’s driven ball at the far post two minutes later.

Ramsdale fielded Kevin Danso’s speculative effort and Richarlison’s header, but in the meantime, Barnes had fired against the crossbar after Thiaw had played a Tonali cross back across goal and his side headed in at the break with the slimmest of advantages.

Willock should have extended Newcastle’s lead within two minutes of the restart, only to mistime and misdirect his header from Barnes’ cross, but he soon made amends when, after Thiaw had picked off Danso’s ball forward, he crossed for Woltemade to head past Kinsky.

As Spurs pushed men forward in the search for a foothold, the hosts prospered on the counter, but they needed a superb one-handed save from Ramsdale to keep out Pape Matar Sarr’s curling attempt on the hour and another to repel Richarlison’s clever flick from a Pedro Porro cross.

But there was no way back for Frank’s men in an increasingly-fractious conclusion.

PA

Follow live coverage as Newcastle United face Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup.

Newcastle are the reigning champions of the competition following a stunning win over Liverpool at Wembley last term, with Alexander Isak proving decisive to end the club's 70-year domestic trophy drought.

While all 72 clubs from the football league enter from the first round, Premier League teams enter at the second or third round stage, the latter for clubs competing in Europe this season.

The final is slated for 22 March 2026 this term, at Wembley as usual, marking the first chance for teams to earn both a trophy and a place in next season’s Uefa competitions. Follow updates from today’s game in the live blog below.

Holders Newcastle take on Tottenham in the League Cup last 16 match at St James’ Park, looking to make it three wins on the bounce and reach the quarter-finals.

The Magpies ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy in May when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final at Wembley, thanks to goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak, but they are only fifth favourites in the Carabao Cup odds to lift the trophy again in March.

Eddie Howe’s side have only had to play one match in the competition so far, due to their involvement in Europe and two goals apiece from Joelinton and Will Osula earned them a 4-1 win over League Two side Bradford City.

Spurs, who are also playing in the Champions League, set up the trip to Newcastle with a 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers as they look to go one better than last season, when they were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Liverpool at the semi-final stage.

They won the first leg 1-0 but went down 4-0 at Anfield thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk.

Newcastle vs Tottenham betting: Expect goals at St James’ Park

Wednesday’s meeting is the 173rd between the two sides and the fourth time they have met in this competition.

The last came back in 2014 when goals from Nabil Bentaleb, Nacer Chadli, Harry Kane and Roberto Soldado earned Spurs a 4-0 win at White Hart Lane.

Spurs also won the previous two matches in the competition after losing the first match 3-1, at St James’ Park in 1976.

Both teams have scored in this fixture in 10 of the last 11 occasions and football betting sites are offering 8/11 on both teams scoring on Wednesday.

Given that record, we like the value for backing the score draw after 90 minutes to send the contest to penalties.

Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 1: Score draw after 90 minutes - 4/1 Betway

Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction: Can Osula strike again?

Osula is likely to start for Newcastle as Howe gets the chance to rotate his already light forward line.

He only came on for the last four minutes in Saturday’s win over Fulham, but he played a key role in Bruno Guimaraes' 90th-minute winner.

The former Sheffield United forward scored twice in the 4-1 League Cup win over Bradford to take his tally for the season to three so far, but Howe has this week described him as the complete package, so we can expect more from the 22-year-old.

With the form of Nick Woltemade, who has scored seven goals for club and country in his last 12 games, Osula’s opportunities have largely come from the bench, so he will want to impress on Wednesday and betting sites are offering 19/1 on him scoring another brace.

However, there’s still value to be had for Osula to notch a goal contribution in the EFL Cup tie.

Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 2: Will Osula to score or assist - 7/5 BetMGM

Newcastle vs Tottenham team news:

Newcastle: The Magpies are still without Yoane Wissa, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento due to injury, and they could be joined on the sidelines by defender Sven Botman, who required stitches for a head injury at the weekend.

Tottenham: Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie are likely to be missing again for Spurs, and Archie Gray could come in to give Micky Van de Ven a much-needed break. At the other end of the pitch, Dominic Solanke is still ruled out with an ankle injury.

Newcastle vs Tottenham betting offers

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To qualify, new users must click the link below and create an account on Bet365 using the Bet365 bonus code INDY2025. After that, deposit £10 and bet £10 on any Newcastle vs Tottenham market with odds of 1/5 or greater.

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Carabao Cup holders Newcastle United host Tottenham in the fourth round tonight.

Both teams were victories in the Premier League this weekend and now have the chance to kick on in the cup, having both also tasted silverware last season.

Newcastle’s 2-1 win against Fulham continued their strong form under Eddie Howe, while Thomas Frank’s side enjoyed a 3-0 win at Everton.

Spurs, who won the Europa League last season, have been strong on the road under Frank - but have lost five of their last six matches against Newcastle in all competitions.

Here’s everything you need to know

When is Newcastle v Tottenham

The match will kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 29 October at St James’ Park.

How can I watch it?

It will be shown on ITV 1 and ITV X from 7:30pm. It’s also being shown on Sky Sports Main Event.

What is the team news?

Cristian Romero has missed Tottenham’s last two games due to injury but has returned to the training pitch along with Destiny Udogie. But the likes of Dominic Solanke and Yves Bissouma are still out along with long-term absentees James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Newcastle remain without Yoana Wissa, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall. William Osula, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes are among those who could feature, while Aaron Ramsdale may feature too in a changed side.

Thomas Frank wants Tottenham Hotspur to go all the way in the Carabao Cup this season, but questioned why the semi-finals were still two-legged.

Spurs travel to holders Newcastle in the fourth round on Wednesday, eager to stay on track for more silverware after they ended a 17-year drought with Europa League success in May under Frank’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham played 60 matches in the 2024-25 campaign and the midweek trip to St James’ Park will be the club’s 15th of this season, which has led Frank to suggest a change-up for a domestic competition often under scrutiny amid an ever-growing football calendar.

“By the way, one thing I’ve been thinking about is that there should only be one semi-final,” Frank said.

“I think two reasons. For the smaller clubs, if you want to beat a bigger club, it’s much much easier to play only one game, so we really want someone to break out and it’s not the same boring same teams winning – of course except from Spurs!

“Then we need to skip one semi-final for everyone else that plays so many games. It should only be one.

“If it’s about money, then someone needs to fix it. If it’s Premier League paying money to EFL (English Football League), because as far as I understand it, it’s because of that. So someone has to fix it. It should be very, very easy.”

Frank missed out on the semi-finals last season after Brentford lost 3-1 in the last eight away to eventual winners Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Newcastle went on to win the competition and secure a first domestic trophy in 70 years as Eddie Howe made history as Magpies boss.

There are similarities between Howe and Frank, given they both established unfancied clubs in the Premier League in the shape of Bournemouth and Brentford respectively before they earned jobs at teams with greater resources.

Spurs head coach Frank added: “I admire Eddie massively.

“Remarkable job in Bournemouth. I followed his team, followed what they did. Fantastic.

“And then he got the big job or the bigger job in Newcastle and the way he turned that around to qualify for the Champions League twice I think, and of course when the cup came out, he transformed the club.

“I think that’s quite impressive. He’s a clever tactician, he clearly knows what he wants, very consistent and I think he’s done very well.”

The Carabao Cup was the first major trophy won in Howe’s career.

When it was put to Frank that the Newcastle boss could now be declared a winner, he countered: “What is a winner?

“Is a winner one that wins something? Or – now I’m not talking about football coaches, just people – is a winner who’s getting up every day relentlessly doing a job, setbacks, keep going. Is that a winner?

“But the perception is always that big trophy. I would love to win. We would love to win.

“I think it’s easier to call it a winner if you win something – so that’s the aim.”

PA

Harry Kane and Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker and Gareth Bale, Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle, Jurgen Klinsmann and Paul Gascoigne. And now Micky van de Ven. The list of Tottenham’s top scorers in seasons is distinguished indeed but there is an anomaly at the moment, a Dutch defender in the territory previously occupied by Teddy Sheringham, Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane, Clive Allen, Martin Chivers, Bobby Smith and Heung-Min Son.

Van de Ven may be an intrepid interloper in the scoring charts, but he was also a fearless traveller: to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as Tottenham became the first visitors to win, and to the Everton penalty box to score twice. The Dutchman surprised even himself. “It’s crazy, I never score two goals in one game,” he said. “It always goes through your head that I might get a hat-trick.” That may not be a phrase he has uttered before his brace, along with a Pape Matar Sarr clincher, earned a victory that made the Hill Dickinson look less like a fortress by the Mersey and Tottenham more like a Thomas Frank team.

A triumph built on a clean sheet and two goals from corners? It was scarcely Angeball. But then Ange Postecoglou took Tottenham to 17th in the Premier League. These are early days, but his successor’s side are third. Postecoglou could seem to have disdain for set-pieces. Frank doesn’t. Brentford were such dead-ball specialists their set-piece coach became Frank’s replacement as manager.

And Van de Ven may be the face of this Spurs. Promoted from the ranks, he is captaining them while Cristian Romero is out. Newly prolific, he is compensating for the absence of more obvious scorers like Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison; after only finding the net seven times in his club career, he now has five goals this campaign. Whereas Postecoglou’s teams were porous, Frank’s Spurs have a defensive record bettered only by Arsenal. It may help, too, that Van de Ven’s hamstrings are put under less stress, with Frank’s defensive line set deeper than Postecoglou’s.

There was a pragmatic feel to this but pragmatism is no longer a dirty word for Tottenham. Their xG from open play was just 0.78 but Romero’s understudy Kevin Danso amassed 18 clearances and, with his long throw, added to their set-piece armoury. “We have a clean-sheet mentality,” said Frank. It may be something he has brought. “The second half was a dogfight,” he added. It was earthy and gritty but Tottenham showed why they possess the Premier League’s only unbeaten record on the road. They may not have an excess of creativity at home but they were solid and streetwise and that can be a fine basis.

“Set pieces are so crucial,” Frank said. “Right now, Arsenal is on track for the title from set pieces.” Spurs are on course for a fine season themselves and Daivd Moyes noted: “We don't concede a lot from corners and I have to praise Tottenham. Thomas Frank works a lot on it.”

That training-ground work yielded two goals. Van de Ven’s first was a well-worked set-piece, the centre-back running from behind the far post to the goal-line, Rodrigo Bentancur circling around to appear on the turf he vacated and meeting Mohammed Kudus’ deep corner with a header across the box for the Dutchman to nod in. His second seemed simpler, Van de Ven just outjumping Jordan Pickford to head in Pedro Porro’s corner. “Micky again,” chorused the travelling fans. “At the start of the season, I said, ‘you are a centre back and you need to score more,’” said Frank. Van de Ven responded. “The way he attacked the ball and got in there where it hurts” impressed his manager.

Perhaps at fault for Van de Ven’s second, Pickford went on to make a fine save from his former teammate Richarlison: Everton may have been relieved a player who tended to score on his returns to Goodison Park was only a substitute. Richarlison instead recorded an assist, setting up his fellow substitute Sarr. It was the cue for the Hill Dickinson to empty.

Everton could reflect on two moments when it might have been different. Porro made a brilliant block on the goal-line in the third minute to thwart Jack Grealish. Everton celebrated an equaliser from another corner, Jake O’Brien heading in. But replays showed Iliman Ndiaye and Grealish offside and around Guglielmo Vicario. “I think it was the right decision,” said an admirably honest Moyes.

Vicario, carrying on where he left off in Monaco, made a terrific save from James Garner and a still better one to repel Beto’s overhead kick. He did well to keep out Ndiaye’s deflected effort. Another shutout owed much to the goalkeeper. “He was man of the match in Monaco,” said Frank. “Micky was man of the match today. And we shouldn’t forget Kevin Danso, who has done very well to step in.”

So has Frank since his appointment. The good news for Tottenham is they are third. The bad news, of course, is that Arsenal are first.

Everton vs Tottenham betting tips

Everton welcome Tottenham to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, looking for their third home league win of the season (4:30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

David Moyes’ side are unbeaten in their new home, beating Brighton and Crystal Palace and drawing with Aston Villa and West Ham, so can they keep up that record against Thomas Frank’s side?

Betting sites are optimistic about their chances, making them favourites for the game, but Tottenham’s best work under Frank this season has come away from home.

Spurs go into the game sixth in the Premier League table, three points and six places above Everton, but they did have a midweek trip to Monaco to contend with.

Monaco held Tottenham to a goalless draw in the Champions League on Wednesday, which is only the second time this season they have failed to score, so it’s no surprise you can get 31/40 in the Premier League odds on both teams to score.

At first glance, Spurs have a great record at Everton’s old Goodison Park ground, losing just one of their last 12 visits.

But they are actually winless on their last six visits to the blue half of Merseyside, drawing five and losing 3-2 in this fixture back in January.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye were on target before an own goal from Archie Gray gave the home side a 3-0 lead at the break, in only Moyes’ second game back in charge of the club.

Dejan Kulusevski and former Toffee Richarlison did pull goals back for the visitors, but it was another defeat for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

The Toffees have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home matches, winning five and drawing seven since the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in April and football betting sites are giving them the edge here as they seek a 52nd win over Spurs.

But Tottenham have won three out of four away games this season in the Premier League, while the recent trend for draws in this fixture only adds to the difficulty of trying to predict an outcome.

Instead, goals could be a better option. Tottenham have scored two or more goals in five of the last six away games, while Everton have scored twice in three out of five matches at their new home ground.

Everton vs Tottenham prediction 1: Over 2.5 goals - 1/1 BetMGM

Everton vs Tottenham betting tips: Richarlison could enjoy Merseyside return

Richarlison scored 53 goals for Everton in a four-year spell before leaving to join Spurs in the summer of 2022 for £60m.

And since he’s been away, he also has a pretty good record of scoring against them, with five goals in seven appearances.

We’ve already mentioned that he scored at Goodison Park last season, and he scored twice there the previous season as Everton came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw.

Premier League betting sites are offering 18/1 on him scoring twice again, or you can get 15/2 on him scoring first.

Everton vs Tottenham prediction 2: Richarlison to score - 13/5 Betway

Everton vs Tottenham team news

Everton vs Tottenham predicted line-ups

LiveScore Bet are offering bettors a £10 free bet this weekend.

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Within one hour of the accumulator being settled, LiveScore Bet will credit users with a £10 free bet to use on any football market, meaning you can place a Saturday acca and have a free bet to use on Everton against Tottenham on Sunday.

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A string of fine saves by Guglielmo Vicario helped Tottenham claim a 0-0 draw at Monaco to remain unbeaten in the Champions League.

Injury-hit Spurs were far from their best at Stade Louis II and needed Vicario on top form to deny Folarin Balogun on three occasions before he brilliantly thwarted Thilo Kehrer’s close-range header in the second half.

It ensured Thomas Frank’s Tottenham left Monaco with five points after three Champions League games, but full-time was met with a smattering of boos from the away end after yet another disjointed attacking display.

Spurs were without captain Cristian Romero – one of 10 players unavailable – and Frank again shuffled his pack with £52m playmaker Xavi Simons only on the bench and Archie Gray surprisingly recalled at left-back.

Gray was quickly involved, blocking an effort by the excellent Maghnes Akliouche before Vicario saved from Balogun and Tottenham’s makeshift full-back then intercepted Ansu Fati’s pass after a dangerous run.

The visitors threatened for the first time after 20 minutes when Wilson Odobert clipped a ball in for stand-in captain Micky van de Ven, but he could only head over under pressure.

It was then Vicario’s turn to step up as he clawed away a dangerous cross by Akliouche before Balogun peeled off van de Ven, but the Spurs goalkeeper raced out to block bravely.

Seconds later and Odobert slipped in Richarlison, who had a left-footed shot thwarted by Mohammed Salisu.

However, Tottenham were indebted to Vicario in the 36th-minute. Balogun again found space and was picked out by Mamadou Coulibaly but the Italian keeper brilliantly parried away Balogun’s curled shot from 12 yards.

It remained goalless at the break after Kevin Danso sent over a corner by Kudus – not long after he headed straight at Philipp Kohn, but he was subsequently penalised for a foul.

Akliouche put Joao Palhinha on his backside at the start of the second half only to scuff his effort straight at Vicario before Odobert cut inside and had a shot deflected over by Kehrer.

Chances remained limited and after Pedro Porro hit a free-kick into the wall, Frank made his first substitutions with Xavi and Pape Sarr sent on after an hour.

Monaco remained on top and Vicario pushed wide a shot by substitute Aleksandr Golovin before he scrambled across his goal and looked mightily relived when Kehrer headed past the post from a Fati cross.

Frank’s next roll of the dice was to introduce Brennan Johnson and Randal Kolo Muani, but it failed to stem the tide.

Vicario’s next heroics occurred in the 75th minute when Caio Henrique’s cross found Jordan Teze and yet his close-range header was superbly blocked by Spurs’ busy goalkeeper.

Former Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino took centre stage for the closing exchanges, lifting a tough volleyed chance over before he fired another shot wide.

Minamino squandered another golden opportunity with seven minutes left when he blazed over from Balogun’s cut-back.

Spurs did finally fashion a chance late on but Johnson’s effort was blocked by Christian Mawissa and it finished goalless.

Tottenham travel to AS Monaco for their next match in the Champions League league phase as they look to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend.

Two games into the European top flight campaign and Spurs have beaten Villarreal 1-0 before a 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt left them ninth in the table heading into tonight’s clash.

Thomas Frank is hoping to build more consistency in his side as Spurs have only won twice in six games since that victory of Villarreal. Their defeat to Villa was especially frustrating as Tottenham took an early lead and had more shots on target but ultimately conceded two goals.

For their part, Monaco are on a four-game streak without a win but they twice fought back against Manchester City to draw 2-2 in their previous Champions League outing. Though sitting seventh in Ligue 1 the French side will be confident of springing a surprise on Spurs tonight.

Here’s everything you need to know:

When is Monaco vs Tottenham?

Tottenham’s clash with Monaco in the Champions League kicks off at 8:00pm BST on Wednesday 22 October at Stade Louis II in Monaco.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the UK can watch the match on TNT Sports 3 with coverage starting at 7pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the match online via Discovery+.

You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.

Team news

Eric Dier will not be fit to face his old team as he is sidelined for the match through injury. Lukas Hradecky (knee), Christian Mawissa (hamstring), Vanderson (hamstring), Denis Zakaria (adductor) and Lamine Camara (ankle) and all absent too and Paul Pogba is a doubt due to a lack of match fitness.

Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero will not feature after picking up respective knee and adductor injuries ahead of the Aston Villa result.

Long term absentees Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Ben Davies and Dominic Solanke are all expected to miss out for the visitors. Mathys Tel, meanwhile, is ineligible.

Newcastle vs Benfica predicted line-ups

Monaco XI: Kohn; Diatta, Kehrer, Salisu, Ouattara; Teze, Coulidbaly; Akliouche, Fati, Henrique; Biereth

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has offered an update on the injury to captain Cristian Romero ahead of his side’s Champions League match against AS Monaco on Wednesday.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Frank emphasised that he is not concerned about Romero – who was forced to withdraw from the loss against Aston Villa due to an injury suffered in the warm-up – though he did not know the timeframe for the Argentina defender’s return.

“It’s an adductor strain. We will assess it more this week before we confirm any timeframe,” explained the Dane.

“No I don't think so, it's a strain,” he replied when asked if fans should be concerned.

The Spurs boss also issued an update on Italian full-back Destiny Udogie, who has not travelled to Monaco ahead of the game.

“The latest is that he got that knee irritation after international duty. We are assessing and working very hard to get on top of it. We'll know more day by day,” added Frank.

Spurs are in the middle of navigating a minor injury crisis, with nine senior players currently sidelined after that injury to Romero.

James Maddison is the player who’ll likely be out for the longest, with the England midfielder having suffered an ACL injury in August. While he will be out until the end of the season, the rest of the injured players should be making returns soon, with Romero and Udogie potentially back in the squad at the weekend.

Centre-back Kota Takai and midfielder Yves Bissouma could make their returns in early November, while key striker Dominic Solanke is reportedly “progressing well” in his recovery. Dejan Kukusevski and Radu Dragusin – who suffered an ACL injury of his own – are also targeting a November return.

Spurs face Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday, with kick-off set for 8pm BST. The match is the third in Spurs’ league phase campaign, with the Lilywhites starting the week in 10th in the league phase table after a win against Villarreal and a draw against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.