Everton v Newcastle: Carabao Cup last-16 tie with Fleetwood waiting

Everton and Newcastle United meet on Thursday evening at the Hill Dickinson Stadium (kick-off 19:45 GMT, 20:45 CET) in the last fourth-round tie of the Carabao Cup. The prize is a quarter-final away at League Two side Fleetwood Town – the club that knocked out Premier League champions Arsenal on Tuesday. And it is only the first half of a double-header: four days later the two sides meet again in the Premier League at St James' Park.

Fleetwood's night changed the bracket

The quarter-final draw has already been made, and it has given this tie an unusual edge. Fleetwood, 18th in the fourth tier, held Arsenal 1-1 – Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored in the first half, Viktor Gyökeres equalised after the break – and then converted all five of their penalties to win the shoot-out 5-3. Mikel Arteta had made nine changes to his side. According to ESPN, Arsenal are the first reigning Premier League champions to be eliminated from the League Cup by a fourth-tier club.

For whoever wins at Everton's new stadium, that means a trip to Highbury Stadium instead of a meeting with a giant. The quarter-finals are planned for the week of 14 December.

Round of 16	Result
Fleetwood Town – Arsenal	1-1, 5-3 on pens
Bradford City – Peterborough United	2-0
Manchester City – Brighton	2-2, 4-3 on pens
Liverpool – Chelsea	1-1, 6-5 on pens
AFC Bournemouth – Aston Villa	3-0
Fulham – Crystal Palace	0-1
Sunderland – Brentford	3-2
Everton – Newcastle United	Thu 29 Oct, 19:45 GMT

Quarter-final draw: Liverpool v Bournemouth, Manchester City v Bradford City, Crystal Palace v Sunderland, Fleetwood Town v Everton or Newcastle.

Everton: a thin squad after defeat at Arsenal

David Moyes' Everton arrive off a 2-0 league defeat at Arsenal on Saturday, and local reports point to several fitness doubts. Jarrad Branthwaite and Jack Grealish missed the trip to London, and Vitalii Mykolenko came off during the second half. Defender James Tarkowski has acknowledged that the group available for rotation is small, so Moyes may have to rely on regular starters despite Monday's league game.

Newcastle: Jaissle wants to "go all in"

Newcastle travel in better spirits after a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday. Head coach Matthias Jaissle told BBC Sport that his side would "go all in" on the competition, which the club won under Eddie Howe in 2025. Lewis Miley and Matias Fernandez-Pardo remain doubtful, while Tino Livramento is still working his way back. Jaissle said he wants a "balance" between rotation and continuity.

Date	Match	Competition
Sat 24 Oct	Arsenal 2-0 Everton	Premier League
Sun 25 Oct	Crystal Palace 0-2 Newcastle	Premier League
Thu 29 Oct	Everton – Newcastle	Carabao Cup, round of 16
Mon 2 Nov	Newcastle – Everton	Premier League, matchday 9

Our take

Rarely has the route into the last four looked this inviting. Liverpool, Manchester City and Crystal Palace all face tricky ties, while the winner here goes to a League Two ground – a real opportunity for either club, but also a trap, as Arsenal just learned. That is why selection matters more than usual. Newcastle have the deeper squad and the momentum from Selhurst Park; Everton have home advantage in a stadium that is still new to visiting teams. With a league meeting four days later, both managers are effectively planning across two matches at once – and the side that judges that balance better on Thursday could set the tone for Monday too. We expect a tight game in which a single goal, or penalties, decides it.

Follow Everton v Newcastle live on EZCO, with goals, cards and line-ups as they happen on the match page, and check the Premier League table ahead of Monday's rematch.