GILLINGHAM FC V NEWCASTLE UNITED: MATCH PREVIEW

We look ahead to Gills second round Capital One Cup tie against Premier League giants Newcastle United at Priestfield

GILLINGHAM V NEWCASTLE UNITED
Capital One Cup Second Round
Tuesday August 26
MEMS Priestfield Stadium
Kick-Off, 745pm

Team News:

Gillingham boss Peter Taylor will have no fresh faces available for the visit of Newcastle. The game has come a touch too soon for Doug Loft (Achilles) and Joe Martin (thigh), while Amine Linganzi (hamstring) will remain out for at least another week.

Cody McDonald (ankle) played for half an hour against Barnsley at the weekend and could start if required. Josh Hare could also be in contention for a place in the team after missing out on the trip to Oakwell as he continues to recover from a bout of concussion.

As for Newcastle, Manager Alan Pardew has stated he will select from the same squad of players that drew 0-0 with Aston Villa on Saturday. However one of the players who will not be available is defender Mike Williamson with the centre half being sent off during the weekend’s game at Villa Park.

As a result he will serve a mandatory one match ban. The likes of Gabriel Obertan, Rob Elliott and Steven Taylor could all be in line to start.

Manager Comments:



Peter Taylor says the fixture in itself will be enough to lift the players following Saturday’s defeat to Barnsley and says if the team play to their potential then an upset is possible.

He said: "I’m sure there will be a lot of people here with a good atmosphere, it’s a no lose situation for us. It’s a great opportunity for our players to show what they can do against a Premier League player.”

Alan Pardew, following his team’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, said: "I'll be taking the same squad that came here, so a strong squad, and hopefully we'll get a win."

Previous Meeting:

The two clubs have only ever met once before, that coming in a League Cup fixture on September 1 1976 when Newcastle ran out 2-1 victors at Priestfield.

Mark Weatherly bagged the Gillingham goal on that day, however it proved to be a consolation.

Betting:



Newcastle are the favourites to progress to the next round, but if you fancy the hosts to cause an upset then they are priced at 5/1 to win in 90 minutes.

If you think Danny Kedwell will score first you can get odds of 7/1, while a goal scored anytime by Josh Pritchard within 90 minutes has a price of 6/1.

Special Bet: Jermaine McGlashan to score first in a 3-2 Gillingham victory – 350/1! *

For more odds across a variety of markets visit www.skybet.com/gillingham

Officials:

Referee – Oliver Langford
Assistants – Adam Crysell and Neil Davies
Fourth Official – Michael Bull

* odds correct at time of writing