‘I’m sure’ – £25m Newcastle United star drops selection hint ahead of Crystal Palace match

Chris Wood is hoping to add to his Newcastle United goal tally in the Carabao Cup against Crystal Palace tonight.
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With Callum Wilson an illness doubt for Newcastle and likely to be rested, Wood is set to lead the line for Newcastle in the third round tie at St James’s Park.

Wood is fresh from scoring his first Premier League goal of the season as he came off the bench in a 4-1 win at Southampton on Sunday. The 30-year-old striker also scored in the second round of the Carabao Cup at Tranmere Rovers back in August.

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Sunday’s win saw Newcastle move up to third in the Premier League table, and the New Zealand international believes The Magpies are more than capable of going on a cup run while also competing at the top of the league.

Chris Wood of United shadows Mohammed Salisu of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Newcastle United at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Southampton, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)Chris Wood of United shadows Mohammed Salisu of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Newcastle United at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Southampton, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
Chris Wood of United shadows Mohammed Salisu of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Newcastle United at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Southampton, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

“That's what I'm here for [to score] that's what I'm going to try and do,” Wood said. “It's one of those, we've got a big enough squad and a good enough squad to be able to do both, focus on the league and get a cup run going.

"It's going to be a tough run against Palace but we're in good form so I don't see why we can't do it again.

"You enjoy it [the goal and win at Southampton] for the day but by the time we come back in for the next game we focus and make sure we're ready to go again. We want a cup run and a good league season to go so it will be nice.”

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Howe is likely to rotate his squad for the league cup match with players such as Wood being handed starts for the first time since August.

“There will be a lot of us boys who I'm sure will play midweek,” Wood added. “It's one of those, a lot of us haven't played for a long period of time, we want to be playing games and showing what we can do. It will be nice to be out playing games and good to be part of.

“Everybody is happy and moving in the right direction so it's fantastic.”

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And Howe felt Wood’s 45 minute outing and goal at Southampton was ‘really important’ for him heading into Wednesday night’s match.

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“It's really important for attacking players to try and score and contribute,” the Newcastle head coach told The Gazette. “Chris did that really well on Sunday playing in a game that wasn't necessarily going to be a dominant team performance.

"We weren't in that moment in the game, it was a really tight game. The goal he scored, the finish shouldn't be underestimated, he received the ball with his back to goal, a quick turn and a brilliant finish into the corner.

"Our goals were the highlight of our performance on Sunday and I think that second goal was the big one.”

Should Newcastle progress in the Carabao Cup tonight, they will return to competitive action after the World Cup break in the fourth round on the week commencing Monday, December 19. The fourth round draw will be made following the conclusion of Manchester United v Aston Villa on Thursday, November 10.