THE Carabao Cup holders continue their defence of the trophy tonight as Newcastle United welcome Manchester City to St. James’ Park for a massive semi-final first leg.
This is a clash of titans in the North East. Newcastle United ended a 70-year wait for silverware by lifting this trophy last season, and they remain unbeaten at home in their last 13 matches. They face a Manchester City side desperate to reclaim the cup they dominated between 2018 and 2021. Pep Guardiola’s men arrive fresh off a ruthless 10-1 demolition of Exeter City in the FA Cup, but they have drawn their last three Premier League games.
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The betting angle: Defensive crisis to spark goals?
While this is a semi-final first leg—traditionally a cagey affair—both managers are navigating severe defensive headaches. Newcastle are down to the bare bones at the back, with Dan Burn, Fabian Schär, and now Tino Livramento (hamstring) all sidelined. Eddie Howe’s side showed their vulnerability in that chaotic 3-3 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday.
Manchester City are also depleted. Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Josko Gvardiol are all ruled out, forcing Guardiola to field a makeshift backline. However, their attack is firing. Erling Haaland has already netted 150 goals for the club, and with Kevin De Bruyne and the returning Rodri pulling the strings, they will look to exploit Newcastle’s makeshift defence.
Newcastle have won two of their last four home meetings with City, and with the St. James’ Park crowd behind them, they will attack. Expect a high-scoring game where both attacks outshine the depleted defences.
- Our tip: Both Teams To Score & Over 2.5 Goals.
- The longshot: Harvey Barnes to score anytime (4 goals in his last 2 games).
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📺 How to watch Newcastle vs Man City
- Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
- Kick-off: 8:00pm GMT
- Venue: St. James’ Park
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event & ITV1.
- Highlights: Sky Sports YouTube & ITVX.
About the author
Craig Mahood
Craig Mahood is an expert in sports betting and online casinos and has worked with the company since 2020. He joined the Betting & Gaming team at The Sun in June 2022 and works closely with the leading bookmakers and online gaming companies to provide content on all areas of sports betting and gaming. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter at the Scottish Sun, covering Scottish football with particular focus on Celtic and Rangers, As well as football, he has covered horse racing, boxing, darts, the Olympics and tennis for the Sun.
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