In a repeat of last season’s final, Manchester United welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.
Manchester United defeated Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley in last season’s showpiece event at Wembley, with Casemiro and Marcus Rashford getting on the scoresheet that day to scoop Eric ten Hag’s side a trophy in his first season in charge.
This time, the two will lock horns for a place in the quarter-finals of the competition in what is surely the blockbuster fixture of the fourth round. The Red Devils fell to another heavy derby defeat on Sunday as they put in an abject performance against Manchester City. But it was far from just a bad day at the office.
Almost a quarter of games into the new season, they are yet to put in what could be described as a dominant performance, losing half of their games and not looking convincing in the vast majority of their positive results.
The hosts currently find themselves in eighth position in the Premier League, and a few supporters are starting to turn on Erik ten Hag. If results do not improve sooner rather than later, it will be difficult to see the manager staying on.
They dispatched Crystal Palace 3-0 in the third round in late September to progress to the Round of 16. But Manchester United will have a much more difficult task against Newcastle United, who have looked excellent at times this season and will fancy their chances at Old Trafford.
The Magpies are unbeaten in their last six in the Premier League, scoring 19 goals and winning four times during that run. The visitors are flying up the Premier League table after a wobbly start to the new season and beat Manchester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup to set up the trip to Manchester United.
Newcastle come into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw with in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, as they struggled to get the decisive winner and looked jaded following a narrow 1-0 midweek defeat to Borussia Dortmund, with injury problems starting to mount.
Newcastle also won the last meeting between the two sides 2-0 in the Premier League back in April. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Good to see you back out there, @AmadDiallo_19 💪#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 30, 2023
Plenty of injuries and absentees remain for Erik ten Hag to deal with coming into this game, although the situation has improved a little in the last couple of weeks. Still, the Manchester Untied boss will be without at least seven absentees for the Carabao Cup fixture.
Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, and Amad Diallo are all confirmed out, while Jadon Sancho’s exile does not appear to be ending anytime soon. On the flip side, Casemiro is in with a shot to feature after returning to training.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is working his way back up to fitness. But this game might come too soon for him. Sergio Reguilon, Raphael Varane, and Mason Mount are all options to start, as well as promising young defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
The Red Devils gave away plenty of chances against Manchester City, and they were lucky that their man in goal, Andre Onana, was in great form to stop a few. Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire were the centre-back combination in defence at the weekend. But Varane was an unused substitute during the derby and could be an option to bring in to shore things up at the back.
Sofyan Amrabat is set to feature in the starting XI after being substituted early during the Manchester City match. But is unclear who might accompany him, although Christian Eriksen seems to have made a strong case for selection.
Captain Bruno Fernandes and speedster Marcus Rashford started against City but could both drop out here. Mason Mount could start in the middle of the attacking midfield trifecta, with Alejandro Garnacho to his left and Antony to his right. Rasmus Hojlund, who still awaits his first goal in domestic football for the club, will once again be the sole number nine up top.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Reguilon; Amrabat, Eriksen; Antony, Mount, Garnacho; Hojlund
Newcastle United
A major injury crisis has left the Newcastle squad stretched. Harvey Barnes (ankle), Elliot Anderson (back), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), and Lewis Miley (illness) all remain out for the foreseeable future, while Sven Botman’s knee problem is unlikely to recover in time for Wednesday’s contest too. Sandro Tonali’s ban comes as a heavy blow to the Magpies’ after his involvement in a betting scandal saw him suspended for 10 months.
Eddie Howe took a gamble at Wolves by using just one substitute despite many Newcastle stars looking leggy and some in dire need of a rest. But he at least has fringe stars like Lewis Hall, Matt Targett, Paul Dummett, and Tino Livramento fresh for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash at Manchester United.
Boss. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/LKF99RtSYL
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 30, 2023
Howe is expected to stick to the 4-3-3 formation against Manchester United but could make wholesale changes to his playing XI. In front of Nick Pope, Jamaal Lascelles should form the central defensive pairing with fit-again Paul Dummett, who produced an inspiring defensive performance in the previous EFL Cup round.
Livramento could hope to catch an eye as the right-back, while the out-of-favour Matt Targett could get a rare chance as the left-back, with Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn set to be rested here.
Bruno Guimaraes will sit in front of the back four, break up the opposition’s play, and initiate attacks from deep. Joe Willock and Lewis Hall will provide the defensive support on either side of the Brazilian, whose passing range and vision in the middle of the park could be key in releasing the likes of Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron down the flanks.
Newcastle will also have to make do without their match-winner from the previous round, Alexander Isak, who missed out through injury, and they will likely rely on in-form Callum Wilson to spearhead the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Livramento, Lascelles, Dummett, Targett; Willock, Guimaraes, Hall; Almiron, Wilson, Gordon
Key Stats
- Manchester United have lost just one of their last eight games across all competitions against the Magpies.
- The Red Devils have kept only one clean sheet in their last six matches across all competitions.
- Newcastle have won just one of their previous eight games away from their fortress, St. James’ Park.
- Meanwhile, the Magpies have failed to muster a single victory at Old Trafford since a 1-0 win back in December 2013.
- Manchester United have seen under 2.5 goals in their last four matches against Newcastle in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Callum Wilson
Callum Wilson seized his opportunity in the absence of the injured Alexander Isak, notching a brace against Wolves. He has now scored seven goals in nine Premier League matches this season, which maintains his record as the player with the best goals-to-minute ratio in the league, showcasing why he is Gareth Southgate’s preferred understudy to Harry Kane in the England squad when fit.
Not only does he score goals, he runs the channels and is a real menace for Premier League centre-backs, with his power, movement, and street smarts making him a nightmare to play against, although he may have lost a yard of pace.
Prediction
Manchester United 0-1 Newcastle United
This is quite an open clash that could go either way, and rotations in squads are also highly likely to make it more unpredictable. Although Newcastle appear to have lost some of their energy in recent weeks as an injury-stricken squad, they will be smelling blood on the back of United’s poor defeat.
Motivation will also be high, with memories still fresh of that Wembley defeat back in February and against an opposition that looks all over the place defensively at present. Eddie Howe has shown an ability to get the best out of his squad players, maintaining standards and unity in the dressing room.
Even with their squad rotations, they could put out a more resilient and determined side than Manchester United. Throw in the instability that surrounds Manchester United at the moment, and there is no reason why Newcastle, despite their injury woes, cannot break their Old Trafford hoodoo.