Newcastle United will aim to lift their first major trophy for 68 years when they take on Manchester United in a keenly anticipated Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
The Magpies have seen their fortunes transformed by PIF’s takeover in 2021, but their transfer market spending has been sustained and shrewd rather than outlandish under manager Eddie Howe.
Record buy Alexander Isak is back in the team after a long spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Sweden forward Isak cost £63 million from Real Sociedad last August, while Howe made the club’s second most expensive buy when Newcastle secured wantaway Everton winger Anthony Gordon for £45m during the January transfer window.
However, that won’t count for much at Wembley.
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Is Anthony Gordon cup-tied for the Carabao Cup final?
Yes. Gordon is unable to feature in the final because he appeared in the competition for Everton earlier this season.
Players can only represent one team in each edition of the Carabao Cup. If they join another club that still has games to play in the knockout competition they are “cup tied” and ineligible to take part.
In Gordon’s case, his ineligibility comes down to the 52 joyless minutes he played in Everton’s 4-1 defeat to Bournemouth in round three. The 22-year-old was an unused substitute during the Toffees’ win over Fleetwood Town in the previous round.
The same rules also apply in England’s other domestic knockout competition, the FA Cup. Gordon played in Everton’s round-three defeat to Manchester United, although this presents no immediate problems given Newcastle fell at the same hurdle to Sheffield Wednesday.
January signings who did not play in the Carabao Cup earlier this season are eligible to play. Wout Weghorst will be among Erik ten Hag’s attacking options for the Red Devils at the weekend, having scored in the semifinal win over Nottingham Forest after joining United last month.
UEFA abolished cup-tying in its competition rules from the 2018/19 season, with the Champions League and Europa League having previously operated in a similar fashion to the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
However, teams can now register up to three new players in January provided there is space in their squad and pick them irrespective of whether or not they played for another club earlier in the season.
For example; Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix are all in Chelsea’s squad for the Champions League knockout stages despite playing for Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica and Atletico Madrid during the groups.
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Players unavailable for Man United vs Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final?
The main spectre that has hung over this game has been domestic suspensions for some key performers.
Bruno Guimaraes was sent off during the closing stages of Newcastle’s semifinal triumph over Southampton for a late challenge on Sam Edozie.
A straight red card meant a three-match ban. However, red card suspensions accrued in English domestic football carry over all competitions, meaning the Brazil midfielder missed out on the Premier League games against West Ham, Bournemouth and Liverpool but will return refreshed at Wembley.
Newcastle going winless across those games underlines Guimaraes’s importance to Howe’s side and his compatriot Casemiro has been similarly pivotal since moving to Old Trafford from Real Madrid earlier in the season.
Casemiro was red-carded before United held out for a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace. That meant sitting out a Premier League double-header against Leeds and last weekend’s win at home to Leicester City. In the meantime, he turned out in both legs of United’s 4-3 aggregate Europa League success versus Barcelona and he will start at Wembley.
One red card recipient who will not take part at Wembley is Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope. The England international’s dismissal for handball outside his box in the 2-0 loss to Liverpool only carries a one-match domestic punishment but, unfortunately for Pope, the next game on Newcastle’s schedule by that stage was the Carabao Cup final.
It means an unlikely return to the spotlight for ex-Liverpool keeper Loris Karius, who started in the showpiece match despite ordinarily being third choice. Newcastle’s No. 2 Martin Dubravka is ineligible for the same reason as Gordon. Earlier this season, he played twice in the Carabao Cup during a loan spell at Manchester United.
