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2026-01-13 - Newcastle United vs Manchester City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English League Cup Semi Final First Leg
Tuesday 13th January 2025 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Newcastle United
Last season saw Newcastle United end their long wait for silverware in the League Cup and they are three games away from winning the competition again. Credit has to be given to the players for battling past Bournemouth in the FA Cup Third Round this past Saturday, although Eddie Howe's squad is stretched by injury and the Extra Time and Penalties needed were far from ideal.
Progress in the Cup competitions and stronger form in the Premier League will give Newcastle United fans plenty to look forward to over the coming weeks and months. The Magpies have beaten Bradford City, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in the previous Rounds of the League Cup and all of those wins have been at St James' Park where they host the First Leg of this Semi Final.
Newcastle United had won 3 in a row in all competitions before the 3-3 draw with Bournemouth in the FA Cup Third Round, although the Penalty Shoot Out win means they still have plenty of momentum. The side are now unbeaten in 13 home games in all competitions and Newcastle United have won 10 of those games in normal time.
Tino Livramento picked up another hamstring injury in the Cup tie played on Saturday and looks set for another spell on the sidelines. The manager is already without players like Fabian Schar and Dan Burn for this one, while Anthony Elanga and Jacob Murphy need to pass late fitness tests to be involved.
Manchester City
Scoring ten goals in a winning effort will always create headlines, but Pep Guardiola has made it clear that there are bigger things at play for Manchester City than beating Exeter City. They were aided by the lower League visitor in the FA Cup, but this is a considerably tougher test for a team that have been struggling for consistency since the turn of the New Year.
Dropped points in the Premier League have allowed Arsenal to pull clear, but the manager still believes there is more to come from Manchester City who are pushing on four fronts. Wins over Huddersfield Town, Swansea City and Brentford have taken Manchester City through to the League Cup Semi Final, which is the best run since last winning this trophy in 2021.
Manchester City are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, but had settled for 3 draws in a row before the thumping win over Exeter City. They had won 4 away games in a row in all competitions, but that run was ended in the goalless draw at Sunderland on New Year's Day.
A surprisingly strong Manchester City team was selected on Saturday as injuries have restricted options. Phil Foden missed out completely and should be involved, while Rayan Ait-Nouri is on his way back from the African Cup of Nations. The likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones and Oscar Bobb are not expected to be involved for the remainder of the month.
Head to Head
Newcastle United beat Manchester City 2-1 at home in November.
That result means Manchester City have won 1 of the last 5 visits to this part of the North East.
Prediction
The League Cup may begin as the fourth priority for most of the top clubs in the Premier League, but once you get to the Semi Final stage of any competition, they begin to matter that much more.
Both Newcastle United and Manchester City made it through to the FA Cup Fourth Round this past weekend and these are two clubs that have enjoyed considerable League Cup successes in recent seasons.
You do have to wonder if Newcastle United needing to play Extra Time and Penalties on Saturday is going to be a factor in the outcome of this game. That was in a match against a fellow Premier League club, while Manchester City scored ten goals in crushing Exeter City at home.
A stronger than expected team was selected by Pep Guardiola, but options are stretched and Manchester City do look vulnerable at the back with so many key players absent.
This is something Newcastle United can exploit and they have given Manchester City very difficult times in this part of the North East. The home team are also without several important figures and goals are expected, but Newcastle United may have enough about them to make sure this tie is still very much winnable when they head to Manchester for the Second Leg.
A narrow lead could be secured, but the likelihood is that Newcastle United will find a way to avoid what could be a devastating defeat.
The Pick :
Newcastle United 2-1 Manchester City
