Are the stars aligning for Newcastle United? Tonight's Carabao Cup quarter-final draw may just offer another clue.
Eddie Howe simply has one preference - to play next month's one-off tie at home - but the Newcastle boss already knows that Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and either Man City or Liverpool won't be joining his side in the hat. Six of the seven opponents Newcastle could face are, admittedly, fellow Premier League sides, but this still feels like a real opportunity for the Magpies to reach a first League Cup semi-final since 1976.
The last time Newcastle were in this position, exactly two years ago, the black-and-whites blew it away to Brentford's reserves after supposedly getting a kind quarter-final draw against a team playing in the Championship at the time. Yes, anything can happen in the cup, but Newcastle's performance that night was pitiful. Even Steve Bruce admitted: "It's not often you can get to a semi-final or a final. They might never get there again."
