Trophyless Newcastle obsessed ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final

When you are the richest club in the world (at least on paper), when your 52.000 capacity stadium is sold out every single game, when you are currently third in the Premier League (with only one defeat and the best defense in England), you are bound for trophies. And the best way to get trophies right now is the Carabao Cup, simply because the Magpies are too weak to challenge the title (yet) and they are already out of the FA Cup. Also, the semi-final draw was favorable for Newcastle, as they were not paired with in-form Manchester United, but rather a relegation candidate Southampton. And that gives Magpies fans hope that they can get one step closer to a trophy. Any trophy.

It's been 68 years since the club won a trophy and 54 since the Fairs Cup in 1969, an information shocking even to the current crop of players. Newcastle's captain Kieran Trippier is the only footballer in this team who played in some big games through his career (EURO 2020, World Cup 2022, Champions League with Tottenham), and he was surprised when he found out that the Magpies are waiting 68 years for a trophy. He even talked to his teammates Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn, who are born and bred in Newcastle and are season ticket holders.

„It was a bit of a shock when you look at how big the club is but I have Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff, loads of players who are Geordies and they try and drill it into the boys how much it would mean to get to a final and to win a cup. We don’t want to look too far ahead. We have a tough game against Southampton, they have been on a good run recently. You look at Dan Burn who is Newcastle through-and-through and Longs as well. They know how much it means to represent the club in the first place and to play for the club in a semi-final of a cup. We need to keep pushing. We need to listen to them, we listen to their stories and talk about the history of the club and we know that. For all the new players who have come in - like me - it is important to understand and learn about the history of the club and we certainly are and Tuesday is a huge game" said Trippier ahead of the first leg, which will be played in Southampton.

And it's not only about a 68 year wait. The last time Newcastle were in the Cup semis was 18 years ago, when players like Shearer, Nicky Butt, James Milner and Shay Given were in the team. The Magpies faced Manchester United, who defeated them 4-1 in the FA Cup and then lost to Arsenal in the finals. But now, Magpies are travelling to Southampton in full strength determined to reach the finals.

CARABAO CUP

Semi-final - First leg

Tuesday

23:00 Southampton - Newcastle United

Wednesday

23:00 Nottingham Forest - Manchester United

***odds are subject to change