Eddie Howe hints at big changes to his starting lineup as Newcastle United take on Bromley on Sunday

Newcastle United take on League Two side Bromley at St James' Park on Sunday in the FA Cup third round. The game is live on BBC iPlayer and via the Red Button with a 3pm Kick-off.

After defeating Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Aston Villa recently, Eddie Howe's lads have to guard against complacency.

As does Howe himself if we're being honest. We're expecting wholesale changes to the squad for this one, but Howe needs to ensure that we still have a cohesive enough team to get through the fixture.

It's something Howe has spoken about during his pre-match press conference this morning (via The Chronicle).

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Eddie Howe has hinted at wholesale changes for Sunday

Howe admitted that his first-team players are feeling a bit fatigued after a hectic festive schedule, but is also aware of the pitfalls of facing lower-league opposition.

"We knew going into the Arsenal game the lads that had played the majority of the minutes were in a good place mentally but physically they were a little bit tired.

"We knew we would have to rotate our squad but we've got very good players that are desperate to play and desperate to show their qualities. It's a good game for them to showcase those qualities but also we have to get through so we have to pick a strong enough squad."

Why am I more nervous about Bromley than I was about Arsenal?

One of Eddie Howe's first games in charge of Newcastle was an FA Cup third-round defeat to Cambridge United, and we're sure that still haunts the gaffer.

Howe may well change up the entire starting lineup, which is what we're expecting, but he will need a couple of big hitters on the bench should anything go wrong.

We've no doubt that the players he will pick to start have what it takes to defeat Bromley on paper, but there's always a risk that the lack of time playing together in a match environment holds them back from being as good as they can be.

Still, though, you have to expect we're going to be in that bowl for the fourth-round draw. Right?