Last season's EFL Cup final will be replayed in round 4 this week and Newcastle will be desperate to defeat the current title holders, Manchester United. The most recent meeting at Old Trafford witnessed a 0-0 stalemate.
Man Utd
The Red Devils are yet to lock in a convincing performance this season, with almost every match made much more difficult due to individual errors and completely avoidable goals. Confidence and performance levels have significantly dropped, and Erik ten Hag now has an enormous job on his hands. Manchester United have only scored 11 goals in ten Premier League matches, whilst conceding 16. This poor record at both ends of the field has put them in 8th place.
Last time out in the League Cup was arguably United’s best performance this campaign, as they beat a heavily rotated Crystal Palace 3-0. Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro and Anthony Martial all scored.
Newcastle
Eddie Howe’s side have had a disappointing week in the lead up to this match at Old Trafford, as they lost 1-0 to Dortmund in the Champions League and drew 2-2 with Wolves. However, unlike the Red Devils, Newcastle have been strong all over the field and they are the league’s joint top scorers on 26 goals. The Magpies also have the fifth best defensive record, conceding an average of 1.1 goals per game. Additionally, they have netted in all but one match thus far and they will expect to score on Wednesday.
The favorites for League Cup triumph, Man City, were dumped out of the competition in Round 3 by Newcastle. The Magpies came to life after the break and opened the scoring through Alexander Isak. They remained concrete as a unit and saw the tie out, whilst threatening in transition.
Verdict?
Both managers will take this competition seriously and field strong teams. Manchester United are expected to have slightly more of the ball, but they may remain reserved due to the threat on the counter, which they have struggled to deal with this season. The game should see goals, but the visitors could just edge it.
The final prediction is Man Utd 1-2 Newcastle.
