Manchester United are the EFL Cup holders after their success last season and they’ll have a tough assignment on Wednesday 1 November when coming up against Newcastle United. In the previous round, the Red Devils claimed a 3-0 success against Crystal Palace, with Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro and Anthony Martial on the scoresheet against weakened opponents.
However, this game comes at a difficult time for the Red Devils who were on a three-game winning run before the weekend Manchester derby against City. Erik ten Hag is focused on ensuring that United are able to secure a top four finish in the Premier League and also make inroads in the Champions League, meaning a win away to FC Copenhagen could be on the cards.
There isn’t a huge amount of depth to the United squad although we might see the likes of Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount, Facundo Pellestri and Hannibal take to the field to line up against a Newcastle side who are now without the suspended Sandro Tonali who has agreed to a ten-month football ban.
While this is a setback for Newcastle, it was interesting to note that a recent 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace was achieved with Miguel Almiron, Elliot Anderson and Alexander Isak on the bench, while Eddie Howe’s side knocked City out of the competition in the previous round and they will now set about eliminating another Manchester team.