Newcastle vs Manchester City: can anyone gain the upper hand in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final?
In the first semi-final of the EFL Cup, Newcastle will host Manchester City at St James’ Park. The match will take place on Tuesday, January 13, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 CET. Here is a betting suggestion for this encounter.
Newcastle vs Manchester City: match facts and head-to-head
- Newcastle have won their last four matches.
- At home, Newcastle are unbeaten in 11 consecutive games.
- In away fixtures, Manchester City are unbeaten in five matches: one draw and four wins.
- Manchester City have scored in three consecutive matches, while Newcastle have found the net in four straight games.
- In 48% of their matches this season, Manchester City have scored in both halves.
- Manchester City have recorded more clean-sheet victories: 39% compared to Newcastle’s 23%.
- Only 6% of Newcastle’s defeats have come without scoring, compared to 10% for Manchester City.
- Newcastle beat Manchester City 2–1 in their most recent head-to-head meeting.
Newcastle vs Manchester City: match preview
Newcastle began their EFL Cup campaign in the third round, where they comfortably dispatched Bradford 4–1. They then progressed past Tottenham with a 2–0 win, before edging Fulham 2–1 at home in the quarter-finals. Newcastle won the EFL Cup last season and will now aim to reach the final once again and defend their title. Their Premier League form has also been solid: after 21 rounds, they have collected 32 points and sit sixth in the table, just three points behind fourth place.
Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League standings. From the same 21 matches, they have amassed 43 points and now trail the league leaders by six. In their previous outing, they thrashed Exeter 10–1 in the third round of the FA Cup. In the EFL Cup, City defeated Brentford 2–0 in the quarter-finals, beat Swansea 3–1 in the round of 16, and came through the third round against Huddersfield.
Probable line-ups
- Newcastle United: Ramsdale; Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes; Gordon, Woltemade, Barnes; Wissa
- Manchester City: Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Alleyne, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland
Prediction
Both Manchester City and Newcastle are in strong form and are capable of producing a high-quality contest, one that could be more open than the return leg. The suggested bet is for both Newcastle and Manchester City to score in this match.
