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Tonight’s match officials
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Referee: Chris Kavanagh
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Referee’s assistants: Dan Cook and Ian Hussin
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Fourth official: Matthew Donohue
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VAR: Stuart Attwell
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Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor
Pre-match managerial musings ...
Eddie Howe: “Pep will tactically have something ready for us and we will have to be at our very best to get through,” said the Newcastle head coach at his pre-match press conference. “They change and tinker a lot with the tactical set-up they have. They’re a difficult team to read and know how to plan and prepare for.”
Pep Guardiola: “I didn’t go to sleep last night thinking about how my genius can come up with a plan for Eddie Howe,” said the City boss. “Many years since Eddie Howe took over, look how many games they have won in the last minute. The push from the crowd - it’s always been like that for a long time. In that stadium it is special. The semi-finals, playing Arsenal and Chelsea, it would be as difficult as Newcastle is.”
Those teams: Eddie Howe makes seven changes to the side that started against Bournemouth, some of them enforced. Nick Pope is back between the sticks, while Lewis Miley, Lewis Hall, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon also return. As expected, Harvey Barnes starts on the bench despite his sizzling xcurrent form.
Pep Guardiola makes five changes: Nico O’Reilly, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku all come into the side, while Antoine Semenyo makes his second start for his new club.
Newcastle United v Manchester City line-ups
Newcastle: Pope, Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Guimaraes, Ramsey, Joelinton, Murphy, Wissa, Gordon.
Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Tonali, Barnes, Elanga, Woltemade, Willock, Alex Murphy, Neave.
Manchester City: Trafford, Matheus Luiz, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Silva, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Foden, Doku, Haaland.
Subs: Donnarumma, Cherki, Reijnders, Rodri, Ait Nouri, McAidoo, Gray, Mukasa, Lewis.
Route to the semi-final
Newcastle: Bradford City (4-1), Tottenham Hotspur (2-0), Fulham (2-1)
Manchester City: Huddersfield Town (2-0), Swansea City (3-1), Brentford (2-0)
Early team news
While Eddie Howe said assessing his players’ “energy levels” in the wake of Saturday’s epice FA Cup tie against Bournemouth would be important ahead of tonight’s team selection, Newcastle are definitely without defenders Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento, while reserve defenders Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles are also unavailable.
William Osula remains sidelined with an ankle injury, while Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga were to face late fitness tests. With a daunting run of fixtures looming for Newcastle, the in-form Harvey Barnes may be kept in reserve on the bench having played every single minute of his side’s past two games.
Manchester City have absentees of their own at the back, with Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol all injured, while Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb and Savinho are also out. Omar Marmoush is still away with Egypt, preparing for tomorrow’s Afcon semi-final against Senegal. At his press conference yesterday, Pep Guardiola echoed the sentiments of many, including his opposite number, in saying he would prefer if this Carabao Cup final was not played over two legs and was instead just “one game”.
Carabao Cup: Newcastle United v Manchester City
To Tyneside, where Newcastle host perennial heavyweights Manchester City in the first installment of this winter double-header. There’s a place at Wembley up for grabs, with Eddie Howe’s side the current holders of the three-handled trophy Manchester City used to win as matter of course.
As up-and-down as their season has been thus far, the hosts are in an excellent run of form and have turned St James’ Park into something of a fortress – unbeaten in 13 at home (W11 D2 – and haven’t lost their knack for the dramatic, evidenced by Saturday’s chaotic 7-6 penalty shootout win over Bournemouth.
Manchester City’s season to date has been similarly unpredictable. They spent the weekend treating their match against Exeter City like a light training session in a 10-1 demolition, yet their Premier League form has been uncharacteristically sticky and three straight draws have left them chasing Arsenal’s tail. Kick-off in this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at St James’ Park is at 8pm but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
