After the EFL made a mistake that put Newcastle United up against Man City in the third round of the Carabao Cup, Eddie Howe has responded.
Carabao Cup third round draw was done on Wednesday night. Newcastle will play Pep Guardiola’s team in front of the Sky Sports cameras on September 27 at 8pm.
Except for ties that hadn’t yet been resolved when the numbers were assigned, ball numbers are assigned in alphabetical order. Thus, Newcastle was given ball number 20 instead of 19, which was given to Norwich City, in error.
Eddie Howe’s team to face strong opposition in Carabao Cup and Champions League
If it had happened, Fulham, a team from the same division as Newcastle, would have been assigned as Newcastle’s opponent instead of the treble winners from the previous season.
In addition, Newcastle were placed in the Champions League’s “group of death”. The Magpies are in the same group along with AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain.
When questioned about the Carabao Cup draw, Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe responded by saying
“Not sure what to think really. I just laughed about it, there’s not a lot you can – you couldn’t make it up really, could we? It’s one of those weeks and one of those seasons.”
He further added,
“The start of the fixture list was very difficult in the Premier League and we’re being tested. We’re playing the top teams but I always think that makes you better anyway. Hopefully it’s a good thing for us.”
In the Carabao Cup draw, the EFL admits that Newcastle was given the incorrect ball.
The EFL admitted its error but argued that the draw had no bearing on the fairness of the competition.
Express Sport quoted an EFL spokesperson saying
“The League accepts that the list published was not in alphabetical order, however, under Cup rules, the draw does not require for numbers to be allocated on that basis as is demonstrated by those teams who progressed on Wednesday night. As a result, the EFL views the draw as completely valid with no impact to competition integrity.”
In the week beginning September 25, Newcastle will play Man City. Last year, Newcastle advanced to the Carabao Cup final, but Manchester United defeated them 2-0 at Wembley.
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