Both Newcastle United and Tottenham fans will be dreaming of a potential trip to Wembley Stadium ahead of their teams’ League Cup quarter-final tonight. For viewers in the United States, the game is being shown live on beIN SPORTS Connect at 2:45pm ET.

But the reality of modern life in the English Premier League means Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino and Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will field weakened sides at White Hart Lane.

Just one point separates the clubs in the league (Tottenham are 7th and Newcastle are 8th) and given the financial incentive for finishing in a higher position, cup competitions are not a priority for the two managers.

Pochettino was criticized for fielding a weakened Southampton side in the FA Cup 5th round last season, the Saints losing that match 1-0.

Ahead of the quarter-final with Newcastle, the Argentine manager was defending his squad rotation policy – he and Pardew have confirmed they’ll rest players, with league commitments to follow at the weekend.

Newcastle welcome Sunderland to St James’ Park on Sunday for the Tyne-Wear derby, consistently the club’s biggest match on the domestic calendar.

Pardew will prioritize that game, though he will also be acutely aware that he is within touching distance of becoming the man to end Newcastle’s long trophy drought.

If either side were to win this game and secure a semi-final place at Wembley, it would provide a huge psychological boost for the fans and players.

“For us it is a dream, (it is) unbelievable,” said Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini of the chance to win a trophy.

“It’s very important for us, the city and the club. Hopefully we can do it.”

What makes this cup tie so difficult for both teams however, is the timing of it. After difficult starts to the season, Tottenham and Newcastle are only beginning to build momentum in their respective campaigns.

Yet successful cup runs – as suggested by Coloccini – can also lead to improvement in the league. Indeed, Newcastle’s recent unbeaten run was galvanized in large part by a 2-0 away win over Manchester City in the League Cup.

This match provides the opportunity for fringe players to push for a place in the regular side and good form shown by them in the cup only increases the options available to their manager in the league.

“These are the only competitions where you can look at players with hope and ambition because in the Premier League it’s difficult,” Pardew said.

“We have played two Premier League teams in this competition but it has paid off massively for me and I feel very confident about the whole group.”

Pochettino was rather more blunt in his appraisal of squad rotation and cup commitments.

The former Argentina international is working his way through an awkward first season at Tottenham, during a period of consolidation and rebuilding for the club. Losing a first-team player in the cup and struggling in the league would be a disaster.

“When you are the coach, you have all the information [on fitness levels] and if you win, you are the best and if you don’t, you are a shit, who made the wrong decision,” Pochettino said ahead of the Newcastle match.

“When you sign a player, you have to have the belief in him and think that it is a possibility that he will play in some of the games.”

The difficulty for both managers in this match will be striking a balance between a team that is competitive yet sensible.

Whilst the League Cup is not valued as much as the Premier League by either club’s board, winning is a habit and the prospect of an iconic Wembley date will appeal greatly to Pardew and Pochettino.

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Whilst Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea had a clichéd, season-defining feel to it, the visit of Sunderland in a week’s time is undoubtedly the biggest game of the season.

Before welcoming their derby rivals to St James’ Park, however, United must navigate their way through awkward fixtures against Arsenal and Tottenham within the space of a few days.

The English Premier League match against the Gunners on Saturday (12:30pm ET on NBCSN for viewers in the United States) is followed on Wednesday by a Carling Cup clash with Spurs (live on beIN SPORTS Connect at 2:45pm ET for US viewers), and the depth of this Newcastle squad will be severely tested.

Alan Pardew has dealt intelligently with a long list of injuries and untimely suspensions this season.

That trend continued after the Chelsea win, during which second choice goalkeeper Rob Elliot was forced off with injury. He will miss between six or seven matches, according to the Newcastle manager.

Youngster Jak Alnwick did superbly after replacing Elliot at half-time but his lack of experience will be a concern for Pardew, who will already have an eye on the Sunderland game.

Newcastle have struggled at the Emirates in recent years, suffering a 7-3 defeat a couple of seasons ago and losing 3-0 on their last visit.

Moussa Sissoko’s absence – again through suspension – is mitigated somewhat by Fabricio Coloccini’s return. The Argentine was inspirational against Chelsea and Newcastle draw confidence and organization from his presence.

He will form one half of central defense, with either Mike Williamson or Paul Dummett to join him after Steven Taylor was sent off at the weekend.

The other major tactical dilemma for Pardew is in attack, where he will need to decide whether to start Papiss Cisse.

Newcastle’s season has so far hinged on the goals of the Senegal striker, who is slowly returning to his best form. In three separate games Cisse has scored a double, earning United crucial points against Hull and Swansea earlier on in the campaign.

Pardew has indicated that he will continue to use his in-form forward as an impact sub, a role in which Cisse has seemed most effective.

Ayoze Perez – who hasn’t scored since the 2-0 win over West Brom on November 9 – is set to lead the line again. Despite his lack of goals, his mobility as a lone striker is crucial to Newcastle’s structure and approach.

If the young Spaniard can recapture his goal-scoring form in London on Saturday, there’s no reason Newcastle can’t capitalize and snatch a rare point or even a victory. Arsenal have been unconvincing at home this season and Newcastle have turned in some superb performances on the road.

Perhaps the biggest difficulty for Pardew and his team is in deciding on an approach to this game. A balance between keeping defensive discipline whilst maintain an attacking threat will need to be found, just as it was against Chelsea.

This is where the absence of Sissoko is most keenly felt: the France international is a dominant figure in midfield, capable of driving his team forward and providing defensive cover in equal measure.

The spine of Newcastle’s team is severely weakened ahead of their Emirates trip and Pardew will also need to compensate by either changing shape or choosing an effective replacement.

So far this season, the English coach has dealt with these sorts of issues successfully. Doing so against Arsenal would be a huge boost ahead of that massive derby match with Sunderland on December 21.

Since the 1-0 loss away to Stoke City at the end of September, Alan Pardew and his side have enjoyed an incredible October renaissance.

That result at the Britannia Stadium was perhaps the low-point of Pardew’s tenure at Newcastle – a time when the Londoner seemed certain to lose his job.

The performance produced by his side that day now seems a lifetime ago. New life has been breathed into the campaign and it all began with a battling 2-2 draw away against Swansea City on October 4. Following the international break, Newcastle won four consecutive English Premier League games (and beat Manchester City in the League Cup in between).

Leicester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and West Brom have all been beaten by Newcastle over the past month. Pardew’s team have conceded just one goal during that sequence, and have gone from ‘crisis club’ to potential contenders for a European place this season.

So what has changed? The return to form of a number of key players, some tactical tweaks and no short amount of luck. Ayoze Perez – who has scored in the past three league games – has been a revelation, while there is a greater organization and determination about this team.

Best Starting XI 

4-3-3: Krul; Janmaat, Taylor, Coloccini, Dummett; Sissoko, Colback, Abeid; Cabella, Perez, Ameobi

Best Performer 

Ayoze Perez. The previously unheralded Spaniard has enjoyed a fairytale start to life in English soccer. Signed with a view to being part of Newcastle’s development squad, he has taken his chance in the first team. He is now the first-choice striker ahead of Papiss Cisse and Emmanuel Riviere and has scored in three consecutive league games. His goals have saved his manager and revitalized an entire football club.

Most Improved Player

Moussa Sissoko. For too long Sissoko embodied Newcastle’s struggles, failing to recapture the form of his earliest days at the club. Over the past month however, he has gradually returned to his best and been key to the Newcastle revival. His pace and power in midfield has been key, with Pardew restoring the France international to his most effective role in central midfield.

Injury News 

The biggest news is the thigh injury suffered by Gabriel Obertan against Liverpool. During his three years at the club Obertan has failed to make his mark, despite being blessed with electrifying pace. He scored the winner against Leicester City that lifted so much weight off his teammates and it is a shame to see him sidelined for an extended period. Siem De Jong and Davide Santon are long-term absentees, with Rolando Aarons now joining them. Combative midfielder Cheick Tiote has been struggling for fitness throughout the month.

Positions that need to be filled in transfer window 

Cover is desperately needed at center-back, following Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa’s loan move to AS Roma in the summer. Paul Dummett’s unexpected development has papered over the cracks, but an injury to Fabricio Coloccini or Steven Taylor could be disastrous. Another central midfielder wouldn’t hurt, given the club’s failure to properly replace Yohan Cabaye.

Managerial progress 

Pardew has emerged from a very dark time in his tenure and, to his credit, dug himself out of a proverbial hole. His return to the more fluid and proactive 4-3-3 formation has been a masterstroke, as has his willingness to trust younger players in the form of Perez, Sammy Ameobi, Massaido Haidara and Aarons. They have repaid his faith and the manager has returned a positive atmosphere to the dressing room, though he understandably doesn’t command the full trust of fans.

Weaknesses 

It is difficult to say how long Perez’s form up front will last, and beyond him it is difficult to see where a genuine goal-scoring threat comes from in this team. That problem is reflected in both midfield and defense where there is a worrying lack of depth. Keeping the players fit is pivotal.

Rating (out of 5 stars)

4.5. It’s been a remarkable turnaround from Pardew and his men who appeared devoid of any confidence. An impressive string of results has kept the manager in his job and the fans dreaming of a top eight finish.

Two years ago, Fabricio Coloccini was named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year after captaining Newcastle United to the cusp of a UEFA Champions League berth. In attack, Newcastle flaunted a fluid, exciting unit comprised of Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa, with Yohan Cabaye the architect from midfield.

The same strengths upon which that Newcastle team built its unexpected success and led to the Geordies becoming one of the most popular English teams on the LiveFootballTickets.com website have – in different ways – since developed into weaknesses that have left the club in a comatose state in the English Premier League.

Manager Alan Pardew has struggled under the weight of expectation generated by that stunning season, when he was voted by his peers as Premier League Manager of the Year. His relationship with fans has been strained by a combination of ill-advised PR moves and a regression in both results and the style of football being employed by his team.

The departures of Ba and Cabaye have hardly aided his cause however, with the latter’s big-money move to PSG sanctioned at the behest of owner Mike Ashley and his board. Newcastle’s tight wage policy and profits-first attitude has made replacing the world-class France midfielder a difficult task: the club has sorely missed his quality and presence.

Despite this, Pardew is not himself blameless. The dip in form of the aforementioned Coloccini and a public falling out with the temperamental but talented Ben Arfa (now on loan at Hull City) have at once affected this team’s defensive stability and potency going forward.

Worryingly for Newcastle, their situation has been mirrored by the likes of Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Cisse, who have failed to recapture their promising form of two seasons ago. Even Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul fails to command the same presence he had behind a previously settled defence.

Pardew’s man management has understandably been questioned, though the former West Ham boss has managed to avoid the sack despite one very nervy flirt with relegation. His squad remains lampooned in a curious state, still possessing players of international class but failing to show signs of gelling as a unit or developing a cohesive style of football.

A persistence with a failing 4-2-3-1 formation and the failure to replace Cabaye and Ba – despite a raft of interesting signings – have been at the heart of Newcastle’s struggles. Recent rumours that Coloccini himself will succeed Pardew in a player-manager role perhaps best surmise the state the club finds itself in, having lost any direction and unity previously fostered by the English coach.

This season’s slow start has visibly eroded the confidence of Newcastle’s otherwise capable and talented footballers. Whether a new manager would be able to coax consistent performances out of Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran and Remy Cabella is a moot point, given the Newcastle board’s reluctance to show interest in creating a football legacy.

For the moment, owner Mike Ashley has indicated his willingness to simply take advantage of the generous financial windfalls that come with simply surviving in the Premier League.

The eight-year contract signed by Pardew in 2012 is arguably the predominant reason he has not been jettisoned by Ashley, who seems unwilling to sack the coach given the generous compensation fee his contract would demand.

So Pardew remains in his position almost by default, and must now instil a fighting quality (at the very least) in a team that seems set for another relegation battle this season.

Trips to Tottenham and Manchester City, follow the visits of Liverpool and Leicester City to St James’ Park after the international break, in what could be a defining month for the club and its beleaguered manager.