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Two former winners of the EFL Cup meet for a second-round clash at St James’ Park on Wednesday night as Newcastle United play host to West Bromwich Albion. A place in the hat for the third-round draw, taking place immediately after the final whistle, awaits the winner, with the next stage of the competition pencilled in for the weeks commencing September 7 and 14. Match preview Many have tipped Newcastle to experience a difficult 2026-27 campaign following the departure of Eddie Howe and several established stars, but early signs suggest that Matthias Jaissle’s new-look, youthful side should not be written off just yet. No team dropped more points (27) from winning positions in 2025-26 than Newcastle and a spirited Magpies outfit was unfortunate not to come away with maximum points on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, as Dominik Szoboszlai stoppage-time penalty salvaged a 2-2 draw for Liverpool. Nevertheless, Jaissle was proud of the collective efforts from his team, stating how they “really left their heart on the pitch and this is something we can build on." The energy generated by the St James’ Park faithful was also praised by the 38-year-old, who had “goosebumps” during his first experience in English football. Preparations for a top-flight trip to Tottenham on Saturday must be placed to one side for now, as Newcastle gear up for their first fixture of the season in the EFL Cup, a competition they won in 2024-25 to end a 70-year trophy drought and have admirably taken seriously in recent years, progressing as far as the quarter-finals in each of the last four seasons. Newcastle also boast a strong record against Wednesday’s opponents West Brom, winning seven and drawing four of their last 14 encounters across all competitions (L3) and prevailing in four of their last six home meetings (D1 L1). After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Championship last season, West Brom have made a positive start to the new campaign, winning their opening two league matches against Norwich City and Burnley – two teams tipped for promotion. A 2-1 away victory over Norwich on the opening weekend was followed by a 3-1 comeback win against Burnley last Sunday, where Isaac Price inspired the Baggies to all three points with two second-half goals at The Hawthorns. West Brom also eased to a 4-1 triumph on the road against Rotherham in the EFL Cup first round earlier this month, and while head coach James Morrison is delighted with his team’s perfect start, the 40-year-old has insisted that “it is going to be a long, hard season with ups and downs”. Sitting second in the Championship table as one of only three teams with maximum points, West Brom are now preparing for two trips to the North East, with a league clash at promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough taking place three days after their tricky EFL Cup encounter with Newcastle. The Baggies won the EFL Cup back in 1965-66, but their recent history in this competition leaves a lot to be desired. They have failed to progress beyond the third round in 18 of the last 20 seasons and have suffered a first-round exit in each of the last three years, losing on penalties to Derby last season. Newcastle United form (all competitions): - D West Bromwich Albion EFL Cup form: - W West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions): - W - W - W Team News Newcastle’s newly-appointed club captain Dan Burn is sidelined with ankle ligament damage, while Joelinton (groin) and Tino Livramento (calf) are also in the treatment room. However, William Osula should be fit to feature after sustaining a knock to his ankle in the draw with Liverpool. Jaissle will weigh up whether to stick with the Dane up front alongside Yoane Wissa, who won more duels (11) than any other Newcastle player on Sunday, or hand Nick Woltemade his first start of the campaign. After scoring as a subtitle against Liverpool, Joe Willock could be rewarded with a start in midfield, while £43m signing Bazoumana Toure will hope to make his full debut for the Magpies in attack at the expense of either Anthony Elanga - another who scored at the weekend - or Harvey Barnes. Newcastle have reportedly agreed a deal to sign midfielder Nico Gonzalez from Man City, but it remains to be seen whether his arrival will be finalised in time for Wednesday’s game. As for West Brom, Morrison has dismissed transfer speculation surrounding Mikey Johnston and has confirmed that the winger missed the win over Burnley with a knock to his ankle. A late call is set to be made on his availability for Wednesday. Ousmane Diakite was fit to start and play the full 90 minutes last weekend, and the midfielder could retain his place in the first XI alongside Jayson Molumby and either Felix Horn Myhre or fellow new signing Rabby Nzingoula. Jimmy-Jay Morgan has kick-started the new season by scoring three goals in as many games, and the 20-year-old will hope to continue in attack, though Tammer Bany and Barney Stewart are also contenders to lead the line. Newcastle United possible starting lineup: Jaouen; Shahar, Thiaw, Schar, Hall; Bamba, Willock; Murphy, Woltemade, Toure; Wissa West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup: O':eary; Galves, Mepham, Phillips, Townsend; Whitwell, Molumby, Diakite, Price; Myhre; Morgan We say: Newcastle United 3-1 West Bromwich Albion Spirits are high within the West Brom camp and they carry positive momentum into Wednesday's clash, hoping to cause an upset and improve their poor recent record in the EFL Cup. However, Newcastle, backed by a roaring home crowd, should have more than enough quality in their side to outscore their second-tier opponents and progress to the third round. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.