Newcastle United

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Joelinton spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle after Wednesday's EFL Cup victory over Bradford City: "I enjoyed myself - not only because I scored two goals, but the performance in general was very good. It gives us the confidence to push on.

"It has been a difficult start to the season for me. I hope I can keep going, be injury-free and play my best football.

"Like the Premier League and Champions League, [the EFL Cup] is very important for us. We want to attack every competition and win every game.

"We now focus on the Premier League again. I am very excited [to play Arsenal] - we had great games against them last season."

Hear more from Joelinton on BBC Sounds

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

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Newcastle ended up scoring as many goals in 90 minutes against Bradford as they did in their previous five games combined.

It was the first time since April - a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace - they had bagged four goals in a game and it could have been more as the dominant hosts had 27 shots, 11 efforts on target and 66 touches in the opposition box.

Newcastle face sterner tests ahead yet it still felt a noteworthy night to rebuild confidence in front of goal.

For context, a blunt attack mustered just one shot on target against Bournemouth and the black-and-whites have only scored three times in their opening five league fixtures.

When it comes to shot conversion (5.6%) and big chance conversion (28.6%), Newcastle have posted some of the worst top-flight returns, while only Aston Villa have scored fewer goals (one).

But Joelinton and William Osula scored timely doubles here.

With three goals, 22-year-old Osula is now the club's top scorer this term, having also found the net against champions Liverpool last month.

Given Yoane Wissa's absence with a knee injury, and record signing Nick Woltemade needing time to adjust to the physicality of the Premier League, it was a welcome performance from Osula, who attracted interest from Eintracht Frankfurt last month.

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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, speaking after the 4-1 win over Bradford: "Very professional. I thought the guys were excellent. It was always going to be a tough game. Bradford are flying at the top of their league so we had to do everything right in terms of our preparation.

"I thought we payed with a lot of quality in both halves - really good rhythm, really good attitude, and good to see us score goals."

On his team selection: "The lads are very aware of the strength in depth, so everyone in their position will be looking over their shoulder.

"You need that strength in depth. It keeps everyone on their toes. I don't think there can be any complacency when you play. A bad game can see you miss football and no-one wants that."

On two-goal William Osula: "He's very driven. Will has got great attitude to his work and his career. He's very ambitious. He wants to play as all players do, but he is now justifying that by his training performances and when he plays on the pitch.

"We have done a lot of work with him and will continue to do that for his benefit to try to get him to be the very best player he can be."

• Hear more from Howe on BBC Sounds

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The fourth-round fixtures of the EFL Cup have been confirmed:

• Arsenal v Brighton

• Grimsby Town v Brentford

• Swansea City v Manchester City

• Newcastle United v Tottenham

• Wrexham v Cardiff City

• Liverpool v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Chelsea

• Wycombe v Fulham

Ties to be played in the week of 27 October

Newcastle United have made seven changes as the holders begin their defence of the Carabao Cup against Bradford City at St James' Park.

Newcastle XI: Ramsdale; Krafth, Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Guimaraes, Miley, Joelinton, Elanga, Osula, Gordon.

Subs: Pope, Trippier, Livramento, A Murphy, Lascelles, Tonali, Willock, Barnes, Woltemade.

Bradford manager Graham Alexander has made five changes.

Bradford XI: Walker, Halliday, Touray, Byrne, Power, Humphrys, Kelly, Leigh, Powell, Pointon, Pennington.

Subs: Hilton, J Wright, Neufville, Cook, Sarcevic, McIntyre, T. Wright, Metcalfe, Lapslie.

There are four games in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, all involving Premier League sides, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Huddersfield v Manchester City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Bradford

• Tottenham v Doncaster - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Port Vale v Arsenal (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

Kick-off times 19:45 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Huddersfield v Man City" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Port Vale v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your views on whether Eddie Howe should hand more minutes to Nick Woltemade against Bradford City in the Carabao Cup or keep the striker wrapped in cotton wool for their next Premier League match against Arsenal.

Here are some of your replies:

Steve: Yes, we have to start 'Big Nick'. Our best chances have been created in the first half so start him off, let him get the chances created for him and hopefully he can score a couple of goals. Then let Will Osula have the last half hour or second half.

Robert: Definitely play Woltemade. This is a chance to score some cheap goals, against weaker opposition, and build his confidence.

John: Wrapping Woltemade in cotton wool is nonsense! He needs to rapidly acclimatise to English football. He needs to integrate with his team-mates and learn their tactics. He needs to build a rapport with the fans and thrive on the confidence that gives him.

Richard: It is an early cup round so we need to play some peripheral players. That centre forward position is vital though, so Woltemade has to play. His height will frighten the League One side - top of their league or not.

David: We paid 60-odd-million for him. He is only 23 years old. PLAY HIM!

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Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey thinks Eddie Howe won't want to "risk the big names" against League One side Bradford City, but warns "every year there is an upset" in the Carabao Cup.

Speaking about the manager's selection dilemma on BBC Radio Newcastle, Howey said: "I'm assuming that he will name a pretty strong bench. He won't want to get them involved ideally, but he might have to if things aren't going to plan.

"Every year there is an upset so he certainly won't be putting out a team that's weak.

"Newcastle United are the holders, so they will want to go as far as they can in this competition once again and, fingers crossed, retain it.

"It is also a chance for certain players that haven't been involved much this season, like Jamaal Lascelles, Aaron Ramsdale and Park Seung-soo. He might even look to give Lewis Miley some minutes again.

"But it is certainly a game where Eddie Howe would like to think he doesn't really need to risk the big names."

Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds

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Newcastle may be struggling to score goals in the Premier League this season following the departure of Alexander Isak to Liverpool but their defence has been rock solid.

Eddie Howe's side have kept a league-high four clean sheets in five matches. The Magpies have only conceded three goals in the league so far, all of which came in the loss to Liverpool when the visitors scored twice after Newcastle had gone down to 10 men.

Newcastle also have the lowest expected goals tally against (2.6) of any Premier League team so far this season, have faced the fewest shots (37) and are yet to make an error leading to a goal.

Their almost flawless defence has been particularly useful on the road, earning three points in goalless draws at Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth.

Should Newcastle's attack start to click in conjunction with their defensive solidity, then the Magpies should start to climb the Premier League table.

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Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

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Newcastle United face Bradford City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday having so far struggled to score goals this season.

The overriding factor has been the protracted departure of Alexander Isak, who scored the winning goal in the EFL Cup final six months ago.

Isak scored 23 goals and provided six assists in last season's Premier League, meaning he was directly involved in more than 40% of Newcastle's total league goals, scoring 33.9% of them.

Newcastle replaced Isak with Brentford forward Yoane Wissa and Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade but Wissa was injured on international duty with DR Congo and will not feature for several weeks.

Meanwhile, Woltemade scored on debut in the 1-0 win against Wolves but Anthony Gordon was preferred as a false nine to start the Champions League defeat against Barcelona.

Newcastle's tally of three goals after five games is their third fewest at this stage of a Premier League season behind 2005-06 (one) and 2015-16 (two).

So the question for Eddie Howe is should Woltemade feature in the cup to get him valuable minutes with the team, or should the Germany Under-21 international be wrapped in cotton wool for the Premier League game against Arsenal on Sunday?

What would you do?

Get Woltemade up to speed or keep him back?

Let us know - and tell us why

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

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Five league games. 54 shots. Three goals.

You do not have to look too far to see where Newcastle United need to improve.

As solid as Newcastle have been at the back – only champions Liverpool have scored against them in the top-flight this season - the Magpies have yet to click in the final third.

Eddie Howe was the first to recognise his side were missing an "X factor" - but there is context.

First, the Alexander Isak saga rumbled on until deadline day, leaving Newcastle light on options in the opening three league games of the season, after the Swede went on strike in a bid to force through his British record move to Liverpool.

Secondly, the club recruited a proven Premier League goalscorer in Yoane Wissa in the final throes of the window, but the former Brentford forward will be sidelined until after the international break next month with a knee injury.

And finally, record arrival Nick Woltemade will require time to adapt to the physicality of the English top flight having never played outside his native Germany before.

Newcastle are clearly going to need others to chip in to help ease the burden - just as they did in the previous campaign.

Harvey Barnes (nine), Anthony Gordon (nine), Jacob Murphy (nine), Sandro Tonali (six), Fabian Schar (six), Bruno Guimaraes (five) and Joelinton (four) all popped up with valuable goals in all competitions last season.

And the Carabao Cup holders will need a spread of goals if they are to go deep into the competition again as they begin the defence of their trophy against Bradford City on Wednesday.

"I'm excited by the team we can be," Howe said.

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Charlotte Robson
Fan writer

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Change! The seasons are doing it and so too must Newcastle United.

I assume that observing summer give way to autumn was the inspiration for the seven changes Eddie Howe made to his side as we moseyed down to the south coast to play Bournemouth. That, surely, is how football managers operate.

And so we begin the era of having and utilising squad depth. I feel spoilt!

Some of the switches made were necessary: Fabian Schar is under a concussion protocol after a head bash against Barcelona, and Anthony Gordon still had one game left of his three game ban. It was, however, not a cobbled together team with a lack of cohesion. It looked like it worked! Apart from one crucial bit.

Defensively we saw Malick Thiaw, one of our summer signings, work really well with Sven Botman and Dan Burn. This very tall trio managed to nullify any threat Bournemouth's Antonine Semenyo might have posed. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento provided assistance defensively on the flanks and offered us opportunity going forward.

Of course, we didn't actually take any of those opportunities as goals continue to evade us (the crucial bit). Maybe goals are not our thing! Or maybe it all just needs a little more time.

It's a shame it has taken five league games and one Champions League fixture for us to feel like we're starting the season, but that's the hand we've been dealt.

I occupy the middle of the Venn diagram of relentless optimism and serious impatience. I think things are going to be absolutely fine at Newcastle.

We have so much talent, we have Howe, and it's all starting to come together. I just wish it would do that a little faster.

Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast, external

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup game against Bradford City at St James' Park (kick-off 19:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Yoane Wissa "does not require surgery" on his knee and is expected to return "the other side of the international break".

• Howe said "there will be an element of rotation" to give those that played three games last week "a rest", but he still wants "a strong team" to give them the best chance of progressing.

• He said "it's got a nice feel about it" to go into the game as competition holders and "we want to respect that by trying to do our best to go on another good run".

• On League One leaders Bradford: "We are up against tough opponents. They are doing very well in their league and they are on a strong winning run. They have beaten two Championship teams to get to this point so full credit to them and [manager] Graham Alexander."

• Howe said it is unfair for people to make comparisons between Nick Woltemade and Alexander Isak because "every player is unique in their own right and Nick is certainly that".

• More on Woltemade's performance against Bournemouth: "We weren't creating chances for him, and to a degree as a centre-forward, you are a reliant on that service and we didn't provide him with enough."

• He said "it's up to everybody to chip in with goals" as that is what the team has done "really well" with over the years. Howe added: "That has to be the case again."

Follow all of Tuesday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to Howe's news conference on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Mick: The fact that a team like Newcastle comes to Vitality Stadium with a defensive setup and is determined not to lose shows the respect now being shown to Iraola's team. Not our best display, but we never gave up trying to break down their low block. Impressive that our 'short' team held their own against Newcastle's giants! Brilliant start to the season by the Cherries.

Martin: Land of the Giants with this Newcastle team. Cherries needed more guile to unlock the defence but couldn't find it. Had 0-0 written all over it.

Jim: Solid performance. With all the changes this season, little old Bournemouth are playing so well!

Rob Been to every Cherries game this season, and the start has been immense, but here they were lacking intent. No crisp, sharp passes or real dynamism. Newcastle had made seven changes but there was no penetration or ability to cause consistent danger. Fourth as it stands though!

Newcastle fans

Smudge: Abject performance going forward again. Nowhere near good enough. But another fantastic effort for the defence and four clean sheets in five games is absolutely brilliant. Poor team selection again has cost us three points but given then struggles at Bournemouth over the past few seasons, that could prove to be a good point at the end of the season.

Bryan: Let's hope Yoane Wissa is available sooner rather than later as we possibly won't score before Christmas otherwise. Blunt force trauma.

Duncan: Boring! We went for the draw and I would have taken that before kick-off, but not in that manner. Big Nick Woltermade is finding out the difference between the Bundesliga and the Premier League. It's a lot faster and more physical. He will get there but it will take time. I think the point was bigger with the two Brazilian midfielders rested, which they needed. They were both tired in the midweek game. Sandro Tonali was doing his best to get things moving, but he was flogging a dead horse really. It was an uninspiring performance and a boring game.

John: A very hard-earned point. The time is coming when Newcastle will actually win three points at Bournemouth. It's a very hard place to go to and come back with the points - as we well know!

Pundits Shay Given and Theo Walcott join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 0-0 Newcastle

• Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa

• Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

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Newcastle had no time to dwell. Less than 72 hours after tasting defeat against Barcelona, they were embarking on their longest away trip of the top-flight campaign.

Sunday felt a psychological test as much as a physical one against a relentless Bournemouth side - and away days certainly not do come much tougher than a trip to the Vitality.

Newcastle had not won at Bournemouth in front of supporters in nearly a decade. Home or away, head coach Eddie Howe has yet to defeat his former side in the Premier League since taking charge of Newcastle nearly four years ago.

Perhaps, then, it was not a surprise that Howe switched to a back three and ensured his side had a solid defensive base to build from with Thiaw, Lewis Hall and Sven Botman among seven changes.

After weathering some early pressure, though, Newcastle lacked a cutting edge with Woltemade tidy in linking play, but only having one touch inside the opposition box in the first half.

Newcastle had just one effort on target as they became just the second team in top-flight history to record goalless draws in their first three away top-flight matches to a season.

Eddie Howe spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Newcastle's draw against Bournemouth: "I haven't give it too much thought in terms of who deserves what. We know Bournemouth are a really good team. We limited them to long sots and Nick made some good saves. We didn't get our attacking game going.

On no shots in second half: "It's not good. You want to create chances and clear cut chances. It didn't feel that in our performance. We are going through one of those phases where it's hard to score away from home.

"Joelinton we have to really protect from injury. He's just back. Bruno is different but the two who played today did really well.

"We're evolving and changing as an attacking force. Our ability to defend has been at a high level and we will score goals."

Dan Burn spoke to Sky Sports after Sunday's draw: "It's not been the way we've played here in the past. Since I've been here we've never won. We changed up and went more direct. A point is good and we changed six or seven players today. It showed the depth we've got in this squad.

"We've invested well in the summer and we've spent a lot of money. We should use those players and it's probably a lesson we've learned from the previous campaign in the Champions League.

On the clean sheet: "We've worked a lot on it. We have a good team there. We're happy and got something to build on. We've not attacked as we've liked but we are a very good attacking team

"We grew into it. Start of the second we could have been braver and took more risks.

On the penalty shout: "I didn't see it to be honest. I'd have to see it again but I'll say it was a penalty.

"We've had a good summer bringing in players of a really high quality."

Did you know?

Newcastle United's starting XI (25y 349d) today had the youngest average age in a Premier League game of theirs since October 2019, against Wolverhampton Wanderers (25y 249d).

Hear match reaction, more from Howe and hear from Malik Thiaw on BBC Sounds