For Newcastle United they have had one of the best cup runs in years. Fortunately they have been paired with Championship counterparts. Now, they have their introduction into Premier League opponents when they visit Hull City in the quarter finals.

While they are a newly promoted Premier League team, Hull sit at the foot of the table - just inside the relegation zone. Newcastle sit at the top of the second division with a two point gap over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Small crowds

Selling tickets for cup games is always more difficult, however Hull City have only managed to fill half their stadium for the quarter final clash. Only granting the away team 2,400 tickets while around triple that will attend St James' Park to watch a .

Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has made his disappointment with the ticket sales at the KC Stadium known. The Spaniard told the Daily Star: “It’s a shame we will not have more there, I would like to see as many of our fans as possible but I can’t control the policy they decide."

“Football has got to be about fans going to the stadium, enjoying it and creating an atmosphere. That has got to be good for the game," the manager added.

Current form

As the teams play in different divisions it may seem difficult to compare the two but with their table positions.

Newcastle have been on an invincible run in recent games, they did not drop points in nine games and scored in 12 but that was abruptly put to an end this weekend as Blackburn took all three points.

Hull fans have endured a lot less celebrations having been beaten 6-1 by Bournemouth and most recently 3-0 by Sunderland. They have proved as a team that they can bounce back, following the defeats to the Cherries they mustered up a 2-1 win against Southampton and now they come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

In the fourth round of the EFL Cup Hull beat Bristol City narrowly in a 2-1 while Newcastle cruised their way into the next round with an emphatic 6-0 thrashing of Championship comrades Preston North End - it must be noted that their league victory of them just days later was by a much smaller margin.

History

Hull and Newcastle have bypassed fixtures with each other for the past two seasons, with Hull being relegated in 2014 and then coming back as the Magpies descended.

In their last meeting Remy Cabella, Sammy Ameobi and Yoan Gouffran scored to take three points away from the KC Stadium while Tim Krul kept his clean sheet.

In fact, the majority of the meeting between to two sides have ended in favour of Newcastle, dating back to 1911. However, that does not mean that The Tigers have no had their fair share of wins. In recent years their main success against the Magpies has come from the FA cup - in fact their main successes in general have come from that cup run. They notably reached the final against Arsenal in 2014, losing 3-2 after going ahead with two early goes.

All in all, these are two club with ownership problems. Newcastle is a work progress with Rafa Benitez restructuring from the inside and out, this is the furthest they have been since a 4-0 thrashing away at Tottenham Hotspur in their last QF display in the EFL cup.

Other appearances this far in the cup have been few and far between, and they have not been able to move past the quarters since 1975. The Geordie nation truly believes in Rafa at this point. While the supporters of Hull City are calling for a changes to be made after suffering many problems in the build up to their season back in the EPL. Progressing the semi finals is important for the restoration of either club.

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About the author
Katie Mishner
Women football writer and Newcastle United supporter. Email: [email protected]