Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali celebrates scoring his side's second goal
Newcastle United will be without two of their first-team stars in the last four of the Carabao Cup.
Indeed, both Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes must serve bans after picking up yellow cards in the quarter-final win over Brentford at St James' Park. Schar entered the book in the first half after chopping down Fabio Carvalho and was instantly yellow-carded by referee Sam Barrott.
He was then joined by Bruno who was cautioned by the West Riding official for a clumsy foul in what would prove a costly moment for the Brazil international. Despite having the pair missing for the last four encounter, the Magpies will at least be boosted by the return of Sean Longstaff.
Longstaff sat out of the victory over Brentford after reaching the limit on yellow cards in the competition. And the suspensions for Schar and Bruno could also prevent future heartache too.
It means that the possibility of being booked and missing a potential Wembley final for both stars has now been put to bed. Newcastle were scalded by a Carabao Cup final suspension for Nick Pope in 2023 when a red card against Liverpool ruled him out of the final showpiece with Loris Karius stepping in between the posts to deputise for the 2-0 defeat.
Speaking on the competition's booking format, Eddie Howe had said: "It is slightly strange with how the booking system works now - so yes, we lose Sean [for Brentford] and then we lose Joelinton [for Ipswich]. But I think that is a position that we have strength in depth with Joe Willock coming back to fitness and Lewis Miley playing again last night, which is good."
Bruno and Schar both played key roles in Newcastle's clearcut win, with the pair combining as the latter tapped home from close range to make it 3-0 in the second half.