EFL Cup Tips: Back Man City and Newcastle to reach the semis | OneFootball

Man City v Brentford - Hosts to triumph against out-of-sorts visitors

Wednesday, 19:30, Live on Sky Sports Main Event

'Pep Roulette' will be in full effect on Wednesday night, with the Manchester City boss tasked with rotating his squad ahead of a jam-packed festive period. Pep hasn't shied away from mixing up his XIs this season, with the Citizens competing across multiple competitions.

They failed to reach this stage of the competition last year, but with the FA Cup on the horizon and an extra couple of UCL games, minutes must be managed, and it's never easy to second-guess the six-time Premier League winner.

Guardiola isn't helped by injuries to John Stones and Jeremy Doku, nor will he be particularly chuffed about the timing of AFCON, with both Omar Marmoush and Rayan Alt-Nouri unavailable for the next few weeks.

Changes were made for their 3-1 victory over Swansea with Divine Mukasa, Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis all handed starts. He also shuffled his pack for the UCL tie with Leverkusen, a game in which very few players covered themselves in glory. Fans have called for Nico Gonzales to be rested ahead of a crucial period, with Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Matheus Nunes also in contention for time on the bench.

City are enjoying a fantastic spell and have won their last five games across all competitions, a run that includes a 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu. They are putting pressure on Arsenal in the title race and will be expecting the Gunners to drop points at some stage. Pep will want to reach the final, although this isn't the priority for the Catalonian.

Brentford were uncharacteristically languid on Sunday afternoon, although credit must be given to Leeds, who nullified the Bees throughout the 90 minutes. Keith Andrews opted for a back five, although the system looked a little clunky and it's an experiment that he is unlikely to repeat here.

They badly missed Kevin Schade, who was suspended on Sunday, and having enjoyed a weekend off, he may come back into the XI here. This will be much tougher than their trip to Grimsby in the previous round, although the game will give them an opportunity to put their below-par display firmly behind them.

Andrews will rotate, although Reiss Nelson and Fabio Carvalho, who featured in the previous round, are not available with the latter out for the remainder of the campaign. The 20-year-old Benjamin Arthur was given a start in the previous round, although Frank Onyeka, who has been an EFL Cup regular this season, is heading to AFCON, alongside Dango Outtara.

Fans are keen to progress in the competition, but this is a game that they aren't expected to win. Betfair Sportsbook odds of 7/1 look generous, although some of their recent form will be factored into that price. Burnley are the only team that the West Londoners have beaten in the last month and they've netted just a single goal in their last four away trips.

Playing away from the G-Tech has been an issue for Andrews' men and they are facing a side who have won every single home PL game since 23 August. Nevertheless, the inevitable changes for the hosts will make them vulnerable at the back and, even at full strength, they let Palace rack up an xG of 1.88 and take 16 shots.

Nevertheless, at home, City are a different beast and should be able to book their place in the next round of the competition. Brentford will put up a good fight, yet the hosts will probably have bigger names on the bench and should be able to mix it up if required.

Newcastle v Fulham - Holders to reach last four

Wednesday, 20:15, Live on Sky Sports Premier League

Newcastle were defeated in a tight and tense Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday's EFL Cup gives them a perfect opportunity to put that disappointment firmly behind them. The holders enjoy this competition and fans will not be satisfied unless their side gives 100% as they aim to defend their crown.

Luckily for the hosts, their form at St. James' Park has been far better this season, winning four of their last five, a run that included a 2-1 success over Wednesday's visitors, Fulham. There is plenty of motivation for Eddie Howe's side and he is likely to name a fairly strong XI, with the club unaffected by AFCON.

It hasn't been an easy run in this competition, although this is the third consecutive EFL Cup game at St. James' Park and they have already avoided a potential banana skin against upwardly-mobile Bradford and they also eased past Spurs in the previous round.

Six players who played at Wembley last season started in the previous round and Bruno Guimaraes spoke about the importance of defending their trophy and creating history. Howe wouldn't want to risk the ire of the fans by taking it easy on Wednesday night, notwithstanding the bustling festive schedule.

Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Sandro Tonali, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes could all be given starts, with Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks. Jacob Murphy and Yoane Wissa are other potential options for the Magpies.

Fulham were involved in a topsy-turvy contest at Turf Moor at the weekend, eventually winning 3-2 in Lancashire. Marco Silva's side desperately needed that victory having lost their previous two games, yet some of their defending was questionable. They've conceded 2+ goals in each of their last three, and their last four matches have featured 20 goals accumulatively. Their defence will be further disrupted with Calvin Bassey's departure for AFCON, a tournament which also takes Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze from the Cottagers.

Fulham have beaten Cambridge in this competition and were less than convincing when ousting League One Wycombe on penalties. Their schedule is slightly less manic than their hosts, although their squad may be stretched by the three departures and they have already lost at this venue.

They've had a relatively straightforward run so far, but this is a tough contest, even with the benefit of an extra day's rest. Their defence has looked all over the place recently and the hosts should be motivated to make a quick start here.

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