Eddie Howe: We have to select a strong enough squad to face the FA Cup challenge

The third round of the 2024/25 FA Cup will see another battle, with Newcastle United taking on Bromley from League Two at St James' Park. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said in an interview that their goal is to advance, and they must select a strong squad to cope with the challenge.

It is worth mentioning that in the first leg of the English League Cup semi-final earlier, Newcastle defeated Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium with goals from Isaac and Gordon, and successfully prepared for the match against Bromley.

Talking about goalkeeper Dubravka's performance, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said, "He has made a great contribution to the team and has performed well since joining the lineup. This is not easy for a goalkeeper. When Pope starts, he needs to be ready and focused at all times. I know that Newcastle means a lot to him, and this emotional investment is obvious in his performance."

Regarding the rotation of the lineup, Eddie Howe said, "This is a balance issue we must face. In the previous game against Arsenal, those players who played most of the games were still in good mental condition, but they were a little tired physically."

“We always knew we were going to play against Bromley and realised we would need to rotate the squad. But we have a lot of very good players who are eager to show what they can do. This game is a good opportunity for them to show what they can do, but our goal is to get promoted so we have to select a strong enough squad.”

Eddie Howe continued, "We have a strong desire to achieve good results, and we will not prioritize any particular game, but will only focus on the game in front of us. We will prepare for this game with the same attitude, just like in the past, giving the opponent the greatest respect and in-depth analysis, and doing our best to win."

In addition, Newcastle is currently ranked fifth in the Premier League standings with 35 points, only one point behind Chelsea, which is fourth. In the next round of the league, Newcastle will face Wolves at home.

Eddie Howe also added, "We played three consecutive away games before, which was a great performance for us, but it was also tiring. It feels good to be back at home now, but these games are not easy, whether at home or away. But from our point of view, it is really a good thing not to have to travel anymore."