Man City vs Newcastle live: Eddie Howe’s men seek to overturn two-goal deficit and reach Wembley final | OneFootball

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Pep Guardiola: I will always stand up for human beings who are suffering

Manchester City face Newcastle United in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals tonight, with Pep Guardiola’s side already halfway to the final as they welcome the Magpies.

City’s deserved 2-0 win over Newcastle three weeks ago means that they have one foot in the final as Eddie Howe’s men travel to the Etihad, with the Magpies having plenty to do if they want to keep up their defence of the League Cup.

The hosts have struggled to string together a run of solid performances since the first leg though, with the loss to Man Utd and recent draw to Tottenham showing that they can be vulnerable against the better sides.

However, Newcastle have been struggling even more since last month, with the Magpies losing to Villa and Liverpool recently, and they’ll have to produce a superb performance if they want to make it to Wembley for the second year running.

Team news

The line-ups will be released in the next five minutes, so here’s a reminder of the early team news for each side...

Summer signing Rayan Cherki remains the main injury concern for the hosts after suffering a knock against Spurs, while Ruben Dias will face a late fitness test after returning to training this week.

Savio, John Stones and Jeremy Doku are nearing returns later this month, while Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol remain the long-term absentees.

For the Magpies, Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Miley will likely miss out, though Sven Botman has been passed fit. Joelinton and Emil Krafth should make returns later this month, while Tino Livramento and Fabian Schar are likely out until March and April respectively.

Story of the first leg

Here’s what happened when these sides met in the first leg back in mid-January.

Knocked out of the Carabao Cup in August, Antoine Semenyo may be taking Manchester City to the final of it. And if that made little sense, the rule change that allowed players to represent two clubs in the competition this season had irritated Eddie Howe even before Manchester City’s latest signing threatened to end Newcastle’s defence of their first major trophy since the 1960s.

In previous years, he would have been cup-tied. Not now. “The rules are the rules,” said Howe, but a rewrite to them came at a bad time for Newcastle. Semenyo’s part in Bournemouth’s summer defeat to Brentford might be no impediment to claiming a winner’s medal. His first-leg strike, coupled with Rayan Cherki’s 99th-minute second, means City can envisage a March date with Arsenal or Chelsea at Wembley. “First step to reach the final,” said Pep Guardiola. Newcastle need a turnaround at the Etihad next month and it is a bogey ground. “We haven’t got a good record there, I haven’t good a good record there but records are there to be broken,” said Howe. “We are still alive, still fighting.”

The truth behind Man City’s new ‘reality’ that Pep Guardiola has missed

Manchester City have fallen in the Premier League’s net spend table over the last five years, but Richard Jolly argues that Guardiola has missed part of the story...

“That's a nice quote, eh?” smiled Pep Guardiola. And yet, he felt, not one that would change his club’s reputation. Manchester City were the biggest spenders in the January transfer window and, with an outlay of some £430m in the last 13 months, their expenditure since the start of 2025 has been lavish. And yet, Guardiola argued, not in the context of half a decade, or a division.

Guardiola knows City will never shed the tag of big spenders. “Never, never, never,” he said. “Always, we will live for that.” But he had looked at the league table and the net-spend charts and, with a hint of mischief, had said: “I'm a little bit sad and upset because in net spend the last five years we are seventh in the Premier League. I want to be the first, I don't understand why the club don't spend more money. I am a little bit grumpy with them.

The truth behind Man City’s new ‘reality’ that Pep Guardiola has missed

Manchester City have fallen in the Premier League’s net spend table over the last five years, but Richard Jolly argues that Guardiola has missed part of the story

Richard Jolly4 February 2026 18:20