Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has labeled Manchester City a tough opponent to face over two legs ahead of their Carabao Cup first leg clash on Tuesday night.
The injury-hit Magpies welcome Pep Guardiola’s side to St James’ Park tomorrow night, hoping to hold on to an advantage ahead of the second leg scheduled for February 4.
Newcastle are the defending champions following their 2-1 win over Liverpool in the final of last season’s competition in March 2025 and have already beaten City at home this season.
“The natural preference is for the home game to be the second leg just because you have a clear understanding of what you need to do and you have the home crowd behind you but it’s not like that this time”, Howe said in his prematch press conference.
“We need to use the home crowd to our advantage in the first game and try to do everything to try and impose ourselves on the tie. We really enjoyed the two-legged semi-final format last year. This is going to be a totally different challenge.
“Manchester City are the hardest team in the country to play over two legs. Pep [Guardiola] will have something ready for us tactically and we will have to be at our best to get through.”
Newcastle have been rocked by multiple injury worries in recent weeks, with the likes of Tino Livramento, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar expected to sit out the clash.
Man City, on the other hand, have Antoine Semenyo available for selection following his £65 million move to the club last week.
“They are a difficult team to prepare for because they change and tinker a lot with the tactical set up they have, they have got a few players missing”, Howe added.
“They are a difficult team to read and know how to plan and prepare to play against. But we will have our plans in place and our priority is always ourselves, what we can do and how we can hurt them. It is important in the home game that we are ourselves and we give the best account of ourselves”, he concluded.
The other semifinal clash sees Chelsea host Arsenal in a London derby, with the final of this season’s competition set to hold at Wembley on March 22.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
