Brentford boss Thomas Frank fires ‘serious’ warning to Newcastle United ahead of Carabao Cup quarter-final tie
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has described Eddie Howe as ‘a fantastic manager’ – but warned the Newcastle United boss his side are taking the Carabao Cup seriously ahead of Wednesday’s quarter-final tie at St James Park.
The Bees have been forced to battle their way through to the last eight of the competition after beating League Two side Colchester United and League One club Leyton Orient in the first two rounds before a penalty shoot-out was needed to see off Championship play-off contenders Sheffield Wednesday in the last round.
Despite some nervy moments in their run to the quarter-final, Newcastle were given a clear indication of what they could face on Wednesday night after they suffered a 4-2 Premier League defeat against Frank’s men just ten days ago. Reported Magpies target Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade were all on target as the Bees inflicted a deserved defeat on a United side that put in a woeful second-half performance that was duly punished by their hosts.
However, Frank, who is hoping to guide his side into the semi-final draw for only the second time in their history, is all too aware of what the Magpies can produce on home soil as he described Wednesday’s visit to St James Park as ‘a tough challenge in every aspect’
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Bees boss said: “It is one of the greatest stadiums in the country and the fans will be up for it. It will be a heated atmosphere, I think they have fantastic fans and are coached by a fantastic manager in Eddie Howe. It is going to be a tough challenge in every aspect. We are up for it. We are really taking this competition serious and really want to progress to the semi-final.”
Frank also revealed he will have a similar squad to the one that fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Sunday night – and also confirmed striker Igor Thiago, who caused Newcastle issues in the Premier League fixture between the two sides earlier this month, is now back in training. However, the likes of Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry are all expected to miss out once again.
Leave a Reply