Matthias Jaissle has warned Everton that Newcastle United's Carabao Cup tie on the banks of the Mersey will have the feel of a "home game" as his side bid for the quarter-finals tonight.
Jaissle was blown away by the backing of almost 3,000 fans at a sold out away end on Sunday afternoon at Crystal Palace as the Toon Army battled through Storm Boelo, train cancellations and replacement bus services on the journey to the capital.
And while the clash with the Toffees has been switched to a Thursday night, it has not stopped Newcastle fans snapping up all 7,732 tickets for the last 16 tie.
Jaissle praises away support
The German head coach knows that the support will be vital as Newcastle eye up reaching the quarter-finals for the fifth year in a row. Jaissle said ahead of the game against David Moyes' side: "We are getting huge support again in an away match.
"It is really special, during the week, we will have 8,000 fans with us, taking the journey to support us.
"It shows the importance about that competition and we will also be aligned with that and go all in. The fans have huge expectations and they have that taste now with winning the competition."
History and approach
Newcastle lifted the Carabao Cup in 2025 with Jaissle fully aware of the impact it had for the club as 300,000 turned out in the streets to celebrate the first domestic trophy lift in 70 years.
But now he wants to play his own part in Newcastle's history, and said: "Due to the history for the club in that competition, I have the same approach - to play with the best possible line-up.
"We need to build on the simple things we did at Crystal Palace and move forward.
"We were doing the simple things a bit better in the second half. We emphasised, like always at half-time, the potential and what we can improve in our game.
"We had a more offensive mindset after ball wins and improved in possession with our structure. Now, it's time to build on that. We have shown a solid performance and deserved that win."
Still in the process
However, Jaissle has warned that it may still take time for his Newcastle team to hit top gear this season. After a couple of bumps in the road at Coventry and Leeds, the win at Palace was very welcome for the Toon boss as questions on his management style were asked last week.
A win at Everton in the Carabao Cup would delight the Geordie public, but he warned: "It will still take time. I mentioned it last week here that sometimes we feel that it's still summer or pre-season when it comes to the training sessions to bring basics into the team.
"We had so many injuries at the peak, eight or nine. Then the weeks with the national teams, where you cannot really work in detail with the whole team. So all these aspects lead to the fact that we're still in the process.
"Step by step, game by game, definitely, otherwise you tend to struggle."
