- Sheffield Wednesday have lost just one of their last 17 games, on penalties to Southampton 
- Newcastle have lost only one of 10 away games this season 
- Recommended bet: Double chance on Sheffield Wednesday or Tie

Newcastle have fallen to humbling FA Cup defeats in recent years and with their Premier League tilt the key priority, Sheffield Wednesday could prove a real banana skin at Hillsborough.

The Magpies were dumped out of the cup in the third round last season by Cambridge United and with League One high-fliers Wednesday their opponents at the same stage this time around, lightning could well strike twice.

Eddie Howe's men sit third in the Premier League after becoming just the third team to take a point or more off Arsenal in their 0-0 draw last time out.

Will fighting on three fronts — with the Carabao Cup quarter-final following soon after — be a risk the North East outfit can afford to take?

Team news

The Owls were without captain Barry Bannan for the league game with Cambridge that rang in the new year, while Dominic Iorfa and Lee Gregory have both been absent.

The latter two could return to the fray after a week of full training.

In the Newcastle camp, the big news is that club-record signing Alexander Isak could man the attack for at least some of the tie.

Formerly of Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad, the Swede has been injured since the start of October, having scored twice in his first three Toon appearances.

The stats

Wednesday ran out 5-0 victors against the U's on Monday and are unbeaten in 13 league games, setting them up well for a plum tie such as the one on Saturday evening.

Josh Windass scored a hat-trick in that Cambridge mauling and the son of former Premier League striker Dean also bagged against Southampton this season — a close-run game decided by one shootout miss from Iorfa after a 1-1 stalemate.

History does favour Wednesday in that they have kept clean sheets in six consecutive FA Cup third-round ties since losing to Middlesbrough in 2017 and the loss to Saints is their only defeat in any competition since the first week of October.

Newcastle have fared well on their travels so far this season, with the loss at Liverpool in August the only blot on their copybook alongside five wins and four draws in all competitions.

With a record that outdoes even their Hillsborough opponents, the Magpies have only lost that sole game since the end of August, though they did need penalties to squeeze past Crystal Palace in the League Cup.

Prediction

With Wednesday proving one of the teams to beat in the EFL, there is potential for Newcastle to come unstuck as they look to keep several balls in the air.

Their League Cup game with Leicester comes just three days after the Hillsborough tie and a week after their draw with the Premier League leaders, meaning Howe's side are sure to be stretched to their limit.

And with Champions League qualification a genuine possibility, the league competition has to take precedence for the Magpies, leaving the door ajar for Wednesday.

The Owls have proved themselves against top-flight opposition so far this season and are taking the fight to Plymouth and Ipswich in League One.

If ever an upset was in the offing, it could well be this Saturday evening in South Yorkshire and a Wednesday win is available at 6/1 with LiveScore Bet, while a tie or home win in the double chance market is an option at 9/5.