Newcastle United vs Bradford Preview & Prediction: Team News, H2H, lineups 2025
Newcastle United vs Bradford Preview – Match Preview
Newcastle’s defence has been solid, and they should control this EFL Cup tie against Bradford. With a clear gap in quality, a home win to nil looks likely. Newcastle have won 6 of their last 12 at St James’ Park, kept clean sheets in 3 of their last 4 overall, and beaten Bradford to nil in 3 of their last 5 home meetings.
Newcastle enter the EFL Cup at the third round as defending champions. They beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 2024/25 final, ending a 56-year wait for a major trophy.
This season, Newcastle are unbeaten in 4 of its first 6 matches and has 4 clean sheets. After the international break, they beat Wolves 1-0 at home but lost 2-1 to Barcelona.
On Sunday, Newcastle drew 0-0 at Bournemouth, holding the hosts to 0.46 expected goals. Neither team could find a winner.
Bradford, from League One, reached the third round by beating Blackburn 2-1 and Stoke 3-0.
After the Stoke win, Bradford won two more league games, then lost 3-1 at Doncaster. They bounced back with a 3-1 home win over Huddersfield.
Bradford kept the momentum with another 3-1 victory against Cardiff. Tommy Leigh and Antoni Sarcevic scored in the first half, and Josh Neufville added a third after the break.
Match Details
| Teams | Newcastle United vs Bradford City |
| Competition | Carabao Cup (EFL Cup), Third Round |
| Venue / Stadium | St James’ Park |
| Date & Time | 24 September 2025, 7:45 pm BST (UK) & 12:15 am IST next day |
| Live Streaming | Fancode (India) |
Newcastle United vs Bradford Team
Head-to-Head Stats
Newcastle hold the historical edge in this matchup, leading Bradford 20-14 with nine draws. At St James’ Park, the pattern is even starker: the Magpies have won to nil in three of the last five home meetings, underscoring a habit of control and clean sheets against the Bantams.
| Match Player | Newcastle Win | Bradford Win | Draw |
| 43 | 20 | 14 | 9 |
Newcastle United – last 5 Matches
| Date | Opponent | Comp. | Result | Top performer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 2025 | Bournemouth | Premier League | 0-0 | Nick Pope (clean sheet). |
| 18 Sep 2025 | Barcelona | UCL | 1-2 L | Anthony Gordon (90′ goal); Marcus Rashford (Barça, brace). |
| 13 Sep 2025 | Wolves | Premier League | 1-0 W | Nick Woltemade (debut winner), back-line clean sheet. |
| 30 Aug 2025 | Leeds | Premier League | 0-0 | Back line/keeper (clean sheet). |
| 25 Aug 2025 | Liverpool | Premier League | 2-3 L | Bruno Guimarães & William Osula scored for NUFC. |
Bradford City – last 5 Matches
| Date | Opponent | Comp. | Result | Top performer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Sep 2025 | @ Cardiff | League One | 3-1 W | Tommy Leigh, Antoni Sarcevic (pen), Josh Neufville (all scored). |
| 13 Sep 2025 | vs Huddersfield | League One | 3-1 W | Bobby Pointon (brace), Josh Neufville. |
| 6 Sep 2025 | @ Doncaster | League One | 1-3 L | Will Swan (Bradford goal). |
| 2 Sep 2025 | vs Grimsby | EFL Trophy | 2-1 W | Andy Cook (76′, 90+5′ match-winner). |
| 30 Aug 2025 | vs AFC Wimbledon | League One | 3-2 W | Joe Wright, Bobby Pointon, Will Swan (all scored). |
Newcastle vs Bradford – last 5 head-to-head meetings
| Date | Competition | Result | Top performers (scorers) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2001 | Premier League | Bradford 2-2 Newcastle | Wetherall, Robbie Blake (P); Carl Cort, Clarence Acuña. |
| 16 Dec 2000 | Premier League | Newcastle 2-1 Bradford | Gary Speed, Kieron Dyer; Robert Molenaar. |
| 01 Nov 2000 | League Cup (R3) | Newcastle 4-3 Bradford | Alan Shearer (2), Daniel Cordone, Steven Caldwell; Ashley Ward (2), Ian Nolan. |
| 01 Apr 2000 | Premier League | Newcastle 2-0 Bradford | Gary Speed, Alan Shearer. |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Premier League | Bradford 2-0 Newcastle | Dean Saunders, David Wetherall. |
Newcastle United vs Bradford Team Comparison
| Metric | Newcastle United | Bradford City |
|---|---|---|
| Division (2025/26) | Premier League | League One (promoted last season) |
| Recent form (last 5)* | W-D-D-L-L | W-W-L-W-W |
| Clean sheets (last 5) | 3 in 5 | 1-2 in 5 |
| 2025/26 attack snapshot | Only 3 goals in 5 PL games so far | 17 goals scored in League One |
| 2025/26 defensive trend | Multiple low-scoring games;
3 clean sheets in last 5 overall. |
Conceded 11 in League One so far. |
| Key threats (form) |
|
|
| Head-to-head (all-time) | Newcastle 20 win | Bradford 14 win |
Newcastle United vs Bradford Team News & Lineup
Newcastle (3-4-2-1):
Aaron Ramsdale; Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Malick Thiaw; Kieran Trippier, Joe Willock, Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton; Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga; William Osula.
Out: Yoane Wissa (knee). Doubt: Jacob Ramsey (ankle).
Bradford (3-4-3):
Sam Walker; Matt Pennington, Aden Baldwin, Ibou Touray; Josh Neufville, Jenson Metcalfe, Max Power, Tyreik Wright; Antoni Sarcevic, Bobby Pointon; Will Swan.
Doubt: Tommy Leigh (came off early vs Cardiff).
Newcastle United vs Bradford Match Prediction
Newcastle are hard to beat right now and strong in defence. Howe’s team should handle Bradford comfortably – Newcastle to win to nil in the EFL Cup.
| Market | Pick | Why | Confidence* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match Result + BTTS | Newcastle win & BTTS: No (win to nil) | Big quality gap + solid recent defending at home. | ★★★★☆ |
| Clean Sheet | Newcastle clean sheet (Yes) | Control + territory at St James’ Park. | ★★★★☆ |
| HT/FT | Newcastle/ Newcastle | Home intensity often tells before half-time. | ★★★☆☆ |
| Total Goals (safer) | Under 3.5 | Expect control > chaos even with rotation. | ★★★☆☆ |
| Exact Margin (long shot) | Newcastle by exactly 2 | 2-0 or 3-1 type profile. | ★★☆☆☆ |