Pep Guardiola criticises Carabao Cup semi-final format amidst injury crisis | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed he prefers a one-off Carabao Cup semi-final over the current two-leg format of the penultimate stage of the tournament.

City secured their first win of 2026 at the weekend as they put 10 past Exeter City to open the 2025-26 FA Cup campaign in style, with nine different goalscorers getting in on the act for the Blues, who were managed by Pepijn Lijnders against the League One outfit as Guardiola was in the stands as he served a suspension.

Three successive draws against Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton to begin the calendar year have raised doubts over Manchester City’s prospects in the Premier League title race, with Guardiola’s side six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Manchester City have been overly reliant on Erling Haaland in the final third this term but Guardiola welcomed Antoine Semenyo to his ranks last week to bolster a frontline that has shown profligacy since the New Year.

The Blues are embarking upon a demanding run of fixtures in the next month, starting with the opening leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final away at Newcastle United.

Previewing Tuesday’s fixture in the north-east, Guardiola gave his two cents on the current two-legged format of a tournament wherein Manchester City have enjoyed great success since the Catalan was appointed manager in 2016.

“I said it from 10 years ago, when we won the Carabao Cups that I would love the semi-final of the Carabao Cup to be one game,” the 54-year-old said in a press conference on Monday afternoon.

City are embarking upon a difficult run of games as January progresses, with the Blues vying for silverware on four fronts and looking to make up for their recent slump of form in the Premier League that has seen Arsenal establish a healthy lead at the top of the table.

The Blues are expected to name their strongest XI against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, though Guardiola will be keeping one eye on the Manchester derby this weekend when he selects a lineup for the opening leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Guardiola is missing several key players and while Semenyo’s arrival has given the attack a much-needed lift, executives at the Etihad Stadium have intensified their pursuit of Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi in January – in the wake of injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol earlier this month.

Dias was pulled off in City’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea with a hamstring injury, with Gvardiol suffering a tibial fracture on his right leg in the game and set for four to five months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery last week.

Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb and John Stones remain unavailable for Manchester City, with Nico Gonzalez also yet to feature since his return from injury despite being named on the bench against Exeter in the FA Cup.