Newcastle United vs Luton Town. The FA Cup Third Round.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance47,069.
Saturday 6 January 2018 15:13, UK
Newcastle start their quest for a first domestic cup trophy since 1955 with a visit from Sky Bet League Two side Luton Town in the FA Cup.
The Toon were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One side Oxford last season and have lost five of their last six ties against lower league opposition in this competition.
Luton boss Nathan Jones is hoping to recreate the heroics of 2013 when they knocked out then Premier League side Norwich City.
Jones said: "It'll be a wonderful occasion in terms of pitting our wits against a Premier League outfit, and that's the beauty of the Cup. It's the romance of the Cup and it's about time we had a real romantic one, so we are pleased.
"It'll be a fantastic occasion going up there, it's a wonderful stadium full of tradition and they're coming back to good times. It's a great tie for us."
Chancel Mbemba is out of Newcastle's clash at St James' Park.
Mbemba has picked up a knee problem in training and will sit out the match along with fellow defenders Florian Lejeune (foot) and Jesus Gamez (ankle).
Keeper Rob Elliot is still out with a thigh problem and that could represent an opportunity for Freddie Woodman, while striker Aleksandar Mitrovic continues his recovery from a back problem.
Jones will have to make at least one change to his starting line-up, with Alan Sheehan missing out due to the red card he picked up in the 4-2 win against Lincoln City.
Luton have progressed past Newcastle on both occasions they were playing in a lower division than the Magpies (1972/73 and 1993/94), losing in 1980/81 when both sides were in the second tier.
Newcastle have been eliminated by lower league opposition in five of their last six FA Cup ties, losing 3-0 to League One side Oxford United in the fourth round last season.
Rafael Benitez hasn't faced a side from League Two or below in the FA Cup since January 2008, when his Liverpool side were twice behind against non-league Havant & Waterlooville before winning 5-2 at Anfield.
The Hatters last faced Premier League opposition in the FA Cup in January 2013, when they became the first non-league side to eliminate Premier League opposition, beating Norwich City at Carrow Road; this has since been emulated by Lincoln City against Burnley last season.
After a great result at Stoke I'm expecting Benitez to make changes given it has only put Newcastle two points above the drop zone. He's not got a big squad and they don't score a lot of goals, so the idea of a comfortable afternoon is foreign for the St James' Park faithful.
In contrast all we hear with Luton is they're scoring four or five. They also have their problems defensively and will come to attack so I'm going for them to get a replay here in what is a really awkward one for Newcastle right now.
Charlie predicts: 2-2 (16/1 with Sky Bet)
