Newcastle fans in their thousands have taken over London a day before the Carabao Cup final

Newcastle fans are making the most of their Carabao Cup final, with many of them making the trip down a day ahead of the game.

The Toon army could be seen in Central London chanting their hearts out and more or less taking the area over.

The Carabao Cup final takes place on Sunday afternoon, with a 4:30 pm kick-off where Manchester United will line up against Newcastle United, with both teams undergoing a resurgence this season, both at the start of what look to be long-term projects.

It is the first final for Newcastle since the 1999 FA Cup final, where they also faced off against Manchester United, though they came out second best in a 2-0 victory for United, who were marching on en-route to their legendary treble.

It is the first chance at major success for this generation of Newcastle fans, who have known nothing but disappointment and, at best, mediocrity from their club prior to the Saudi Arabia takeover in mid-2021.

But the appointment of Eddie Howe in late 2021 and a number of astute signings such as Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman have put Newcastle on the road to success.

The Magpies are playing a more attractive brand of football, and have solidified their defence immensely, boasting the best defence in the Premier League having only conceded 15 goals in 23 games.

It gives Newcastle fans something to dream about, with this final showing as what is hopefully a sign of things to come in their eyes.

Goalkeeping stalwart Nick Pope is suspended for the final though, following his careless sending off for handling the ball outside the box vs Liverpool last weekend, while Joelinton is also a question mark with a hamstring niggle.

Pope is sure to be a miss in the final, as second choice keeper Martin Dubravka is cup-tied having played in the competition while on loan for United earlier this season, leaving ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius in position to have his first start in English football in 5 years.

Newcastle fans nonetheless look and sound optimistic about their first final in 24 years, as they know that anything can happen in a final, and despite Manchester United's good form, nothing will stop the Toon Army from making the most of this weekend.