Newcastle United will be out to avenge last season’s Carabao Cup final defeat on Wednesday evening when they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the fourth round of the competition.
The Magpies overcame Manchester City 1-0 in the Carabao Cup third round last month. The ousting of City from the cup competition came during a fantastic purple patch that included notable wins over Sheffield United and Paris Saint-Germain, but Eddie Howe’s men have not been at their sublime best over the past fortnight.
The Toon Army lost 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week and head into this crunch clash off the back of a 2-2 draw with Wolves in the Premier League, although Howe and Co. will be in a buoyant mood and look to take advantage of Man United’s disjointed start to the season.
Newcastle United Team News
Alexander Isak (groin), Elliot Anderson (back), Lewis Miley (glandular fever) and Jacob Murphy (shoulder) have recently joined Harvey Barnes (ankle) and Sven Botman (knee) on the sidelines, while Sandro Tonali’s 10-month ban for betting breaches came into effect over the weekend.
Predicted Newcastle United lineup vs Man United (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope started in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Man City in the Carabao Cup last round and looks set to keep his place between the sticks at Old Trafford.
Defence
In front of Pope, changes are expected in the Newcastle defence. Tino Livramento and Matt Targett could come in for Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn at full-back positions. They must look to help the central defenders and offer attacking impetus when required.
With Botman unlikely to recover from the knee problem in time, Jamaal Lascelles should continue partnering Fabian Schar at the heart of the Magpies’ defence.
Midfield
As Newcastle’s midfield options are stretched following injuries to Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley, and a 10-month ban to Sandro Tonali, Eddie Howe could place his trust in Joe Willock, who has recently returned from a long injury layoff. The Englishman may join Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton in the Newcastle engine room, with Sean Longstaff dropping out.
The aforementioned trio must look to win the midfield battles in order to stop Man United from playing their natural brand of football.
Attack
Young Lewis Hall could get a chance to impress in an advanced wide left position, meaning Anthony Gordon drops to the bench. But Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson are expected to keep their places in attack intact, with the former lining up on the right flank and the latter leading the line in the absence of Isak.
Given Man United’s glaring deficiencies at the back, this Newcastle side will fashion their chances of scoring goals and piling more misery on Ten Hag.