Newcastle United travel to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
The Magpies face a significant task after losing the first leg 2-0 at St James’ Park, where goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo gave City control of the tie. Eddie Howe’s side need a two-goal swing just to force extra time and keep their hopes of reaching Wembley alive, needing a three-goal win to advance or a two-goal victory to drag the game into extra time and penalties—whatever is needed.
Defensive options are limited for Newcastle, with Fabian Schar, Emil Krafth and Tino Livramento still unavailable and Jamaal Lascelles on his way to the Championship. In midfield, Bruno Guimaraes is questionable after missing the recent Premier League defeat to Liverpool, while Joelinton is also sidelined.
Manchester City arrive with a strong home record but also carry injuries into the game, including important ones to Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol. Pep Guardiola’s side surrendered a two-goal lead over the weekend, with the game against Tottenham finishing in a draw, but they remain in a strong position to close out the tie against NUFC and make it to the Wembley final.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On Wednesday’s cup tie, aiming to reach a third Carabao Cup final in their last four seasons…“The second goal in the first game was a big disappointment for us coming so late but we still believe. We believe we have the players that can go to any stadium in the world and perform and score goals.
“Collectively, the spirit within the group is there. It’s going to be an almighty challenge and there’s no bigger challenge than Manchester City away but we believe in ourselves and will give it a good go.”
On Bruno Guimarães…“Bruno is doing well but I don’t think he’ll make this game. There is a chance for the weekend.”
On Sven Botman and Lewis Miley…“Sven is OK. Lewis I’m not sure will make this game either.”
On Joe Willock…“I’m very pleased Joe is here and playing as he is. The last two games I think he’s been really good. It’s a return to his best form and I think he’s a very, very good player.
“I never thought about losing Joe [in the transfer window]. He’s too important. Every player we possess that’s fit is really valued by us.”
On the requirements needed ahead of facing Man City…“Part of the Liverpool performance, for the first 30-35 minutes, was really strong. Against Paris, we had a strong performance all the way through, bar the first 20 minutes. Put those two together and we’ve got an outstanding chance.
“Firstly, we have to try and win the game. 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 see what we can do.”
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 4th
Kick-off: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST
Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester (England)
For all your watching needs, check LiveSoccerTV.com.