Marc Guehi of Man City with Abdukodir Khusanov during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Etihad Stadium on January 24, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)placeholder image
Marc Guehi of Man City with Abdukodir Khusanov during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Etihad Stadium on January 24, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) | Getty Images
EFL rules block the Manchester City defender from featuring against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.
Newcastle United travel to Manchester City this evening in the second-leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Magpies are without a win at the Etihad Stadium since 2014 and haven’t scored on their last seven visits.
But Eddie Howe’s side must buck both trends if they are to advance into the final, as they trail 2-0 from the first-leg following goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki.
In previous seasons, Semenyo would have been cup-tied after he played for AFC Bournemouth in a 2-0 defeat against Brentford in the second round back in August.
However, a new EFL rule introduced at the start of the 2025-26 campaign allows players to represent two clubs in the competition in a single season. Semenyo joined City from the Cherries for £64m, four days before the first-leg.
“It was nice to find out that rule had changed after finding out they'd signed him,” Howe reacted. “Yeah, I have to say that's probably one rule change I probably wouldn't be supportive of at this current moment!”
EFL block Manchester City new signing from featuring v Newcastle United
However, that does not apply to another new signing, with Marc Guehi ineligible. That is because the England international joined from Crystal Palace after the first-leg had taken place.
EFL rules state: “A Registered Player shall be permitted to play for up to two clubs in the competition in any one season where such player moved to a different club on a permanent transfer prior to the closure of the Winter Transfer Window, or the first leg of the semi-final (whichever is sooner).”
Guehi started Man City’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday but Pep Guardiola has Nathan Ake, Max Alleyne and possibly Ruben Dias to call upon after the latter resumed training on Monday.
Eddie Howe previews Manchester City v Newcastle United
Looking ahead to the game, Newcastle boss Howe said: “I think the second goal in the first game was obviously a big disappointment for us coming so late. But no, we still believe and we have to believe.
“We believe we've got the players that can go to any stadium in the world and perform and score goals, so I think collectively there's that spirit within the group is there.
“It's going to be an almighty challenge and there's no bigger challenge than Manchester City away. I think we say that every time we play them. But we believe in ourselves. We’re going to give it a good go.”
The visit to Etihad is Newcastle’s third away match in seven days after drawing 1-1 against Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday before losing 4-1 to Liverpool on Saturday, despite taking the lead through Anthony Gordon.
Howe said: “I think part of the Liverpool performance, probably for the first 30-35 minutes, was really, really strong. They're a very difficult team to play against but, of course, we didn't put that together for the 90 minutes.
“Against Paris, we had, I thought, a really strong performance all the way through, probably bar the first 20 minutes. So, as you say, put those two together, I think you've got an outstanding chance.
“I think, firstly, we just have to try and win the game and I think if we have that mentality that we're going to try and get all the disciplines of our game in a good place and attack the game, let's wait and see what we can do.”
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