Newcastle United are aiming for their second-straight Carabao Cup semi-final when they face Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Martin Dubravka has spoken out about the’strange’ sequence of circumstances that led to his receiving a Carabao Cup winner’s medal despite Newcastle United losing at Wembley last season. Dubravka spent the first half of the season on loan at Manchester United, appearing in two Carabao Cup games on his way to Wembley.
Despite returning to the north east in January, Dubravka was still eligible for a winners medal, and the Slovakian has revealed that he received one despite his club losing at Wembley. When asked if he received a medal and what he thought of the final, Dubravka replied, “I got one.” “I didn’t expect it because I wasn’t sure if they’d give it to me.”It was [abnormal], but when you think about it, it’s all part of the game. I just played two matches for them, and how many matches did it take to go to the final? It was an odd scenario, and I didn’t want to be in it.
“As you can imagine, the final last season was the strangest game for me!” I played two games for Manchester United and was back in the team, so everyone was wondering who I was going to support. Because of the amount of time I’ve spent in Newcastle, I always declare I’ll always support them.
“It’s not fair to compare five and a half years to five months.” I wanted Newcastle to win for the sake of the city and the club, since the fans are desperate for something spectacular.”
This time, however, Dubravka has the opportunity to assist the Magpies reach Wembley once more and, perhaps, see his team go one step further and end their 68-year wait for domestic trophy. Due to the injury to Nick Pope, who missed last season’s final due to suspension, Dubravka has taken over as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, and he has stated that it would be ‘great’ to help the team win a big trophy.
“It would be absolutely fantastic,” Dubravka added. Everyone is humming here, and everyone wants to win something and do something here, which would be incredible. Look at the stadium and the people; it’s a special venue to play, so winning something would be incredible.
“We have a good team, and there is balance within it.” We have a few of injuries, and it’s not easy when you have as many games as we do, but there is a chance for us to win it if you have the highest objectives.
“It’s everything to me.” As I previously stated, I’ve spent a significant amount of time here. I could have left the club a few years ago, but I didn’t want to since this is a rare place where the supporters and the city are intertwined, as you can see today.
“The fans come from all over to support us, and the number of ticket requests is staggering.” The stadium should hold 100,000 people.”
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