Newcastle United – Manchester City

The rivals' first match promises a high-scoring game.

In the English Football League Cup semi finals there were no random clubs this time. All four teams reaching this stage represent England in the Champions League and will surely advance to the knockout stage of this tournament at the end of January. Moreover the team with the lowest bookmakers' odds in the English Football League Cup is its defending champion. For reference, last season Newcastle United, as the underdog, went into the semi finals against Arsenal and the final against Liverpool, but won all three matches. The Magpies will start the semi final stage of the current edition against Manchester City on their home ground. The opponent at this stage of the season can be considered one of the two most dangerous teams in English football. Pep Guardiola has led the Mancunian side out of a crisis and is now shaping a new champion. So far it's not without problems, but the Citizens are showing a positive trend. The meeting in the English Football League Cup will be their second official encounter this season. The first took place in the 12th round of the Premier League and brought Newcastle a 2-1 victory thanks to two goals by Harvey Barnes. By the way, this forward is still in excellent form, as evidenced by braces in his last two matches for the Magpies. Bookmakers have made the visitors the favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 2.16 on their victory. Newcastle have won three of their last Premier League matches and recently progressed to the Round of 64 in the FA Cup. That said, you should not overestimate the Magpies' abilities. In the previous round of the Premier League, Howe's men were trailing Leeds until the 90th minute but fought back to win in stoppage time, and the cup win over Bournemouth came in a penalty shootout after conceding three goals in regulation time. Newcastle are strong in attack, but in defense they have kept a clean sheet in only one of their last fifteen official matches. Manchester City, after the recent trophy drought, is eager to win any competition. Saturday's 10-1 victory over Exeter City shows their serious intent toward national cups. In Newcastle there is a very high likelihood that both sides will score.