Man City v Newcastle

Manchester City take a 2–0 advantage into the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final. Do Newcastle have any chance?

Man City v Newcastle – Etihad Stadium 21.00 CET

Team News:

Man City have the same list of injuries from the last game. Winger Jeremy Doku, defenders Josko Gvardiol and John Stones. Midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Savinho are all out and all starters. Ruben Dias and Ryan Cherki are injury doubts and not likely to be risked. City will likely rotate and we could see James Trafford in goal and out of form Phil Foden plus some back up players in.

Newcastle are still without midfielder Joelinton, defenders Schar and Livramento. Key men are not fully fit either with captain Guimaraes, defenders Botman and Miley all not 100%. A risk for Newcastle to field any of them but with a trip to Wembley and a Cup final its possible they will roll the dice.

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Formations:

Newcastle are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation as they chase the two‑goal margin required to stay alive in the tie. Injuries in key positions limit their options, but they will aim to threaten with the pace of Gordon and either Barnes or Murphy.

4-1-4-1 or 4-1-3-2 now that Rodri is back. Mixed results so far with a few games were City have quietly dominated but they have also drawn with Spurs and been beaten by Man Utd and the Bodo/Glimt so work to be done.

Statistics:

Referee: Tony Harrington (Average cards 3.16 Yellow 0.09 Red per game)

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Match Preview:

Man City only need to avoid losing by two goals to reach the Wembley final. With a Premier League match against Brentford ahead, they are expected to rotate the squad. Newcastle, having come through a demanding run of games against Villa, PSG and Liverpool, are dealing with injuries and fatigue, making this a difficult challenge for them

Betting Preview:

Newcastle must find a balance between staying solid defensively and chasing the two goals they need to stay in the tie. It’s a difficult task, even against a rotated Manchester City side. Goals seem likely here, with both teams expected to contribute or the match potentially going over 2.5 goals. City should be able to control the tempo and will be confident of securing their place at Wembley