Four Newcastle United Stars Walking Suspension Tightrope Ahead of Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
Newcastle United could be without up to four key players in the later stages of the Carabao Cup, as several squad members now sit one yellow card away from suspension following their win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Eddie Howe’s side advanced to the quarter-finals after an impressive 2-0 victory over Spurs at St James’ Park, with Fabian Schär and Nick Woltemade getting on the scoresheet. The Magpies will now host Fulham on December 17 (TBC), just three days after their Premier League showdown with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
This season marks Newcastle’s fourth consecutive Carabao Cup quarter-final under Howe. Their recent record in the competition has been strong — a final appearance in 2023 (losing 2-0 to Manchester United), a quarter-final exit to Chelsea on penalties in 2024, and a historic Carabao Cup triumph last season after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought.
So far, their title defence has gone smoothly with wins over Bradford City (4-1) and Tottenham (2-0), but Howe now faces a potential selection headache.
Newcastle Players at Risk of Carabao Cup Suspension
According to the competition rules, any player who collects two yellow cards before the semi-finals will serve a one-match suspension — though yellow card bans don’t carry over into other tournaments.
Newcastle learned that rule the hard way last season when Bruno Guimarães missed the semi-final first leg against Arsenal after picking up his second booking of the cup in the quarter-final win over Brentford.
After avoiding any cautions in the win over Bradford, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schär, Joelinton, and Malick Thiaw all went into the referee’s book against Spurs. This means that if any of them are booked again versus Fulham — and Newcastle advance — they will miss the first leg of the semi-final.
Joelinton Also Facing Champions League Risk
Joelinton’s disciplinary worries don’t end there. The Brazilian is also one booking away from a Champions League suspension, having already been shown yellow cards against Barcelona and Union Saint-Gilloise.
UEFA rules dictate that any player booked three times in the group stage must serve a one-match ban.
Joelinton was benched for the recent clash with Benfica but came on as a substitute to help Newcastle seal a 3-0 victory without adding to his card tally. He’ll be available for the next Champions League game against Athletic Club on November 5, but another caution in the remaining group fixtures would mean a ban.
Dan Burn and Malick Thiaw have also been booked once in Europe and would each need two more yellows to face suspension — unless, of course, they were shown a straight red.
Premier League Discipline Update
The Premier League operates with its own system. A player is suspended for one match after five bookings in the first 19 games, then for two matches after 10 bookings by game 32, and a three-match ban after 15 cautions (a number no player has yet reached).
Currently, no Newcastle player is on the verge of a league suspension. Dan Burn leads the tally with three yellows, while Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton have two each. Malick Thiaw and Nick Pope have one apiece, and the rest of the squad remain in the clear heading into matchweek 10.
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