Only Liverpool (9) and Manchester City (8) have won the League/EFL Cup (now known as the Carabao Cup) trophy more so than Manchester United (5).
Meanwhile only Arsenal (6) and Tottenham Hotspur (5) have lost the League Cup final match more than United (4). Sunday night brings the next edition, will United add another piece of silverware to an already loaded trophy case? Or will Newcastle triumph, and thus hand United their fifth all-time L in the title tilt of this competition.
Man United vs Newcastle EFL Cup Final FYIs
Kickoff: Sun Feb. 26, 4:30 pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Starting XI Predictions: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: This is Newcastle’s first League Cup final since 1976, with that 47 year drought the longest stretch between finals in League Cup history
Stat Pack: United are competing in their 10th League Cup final; only Liverpool (13) have played in more.
Team News for Both Sides
For United, the only English club still alive in all four competitions, there is only one new injury concern. However, it is a huge one- Marcus Rashford!
The leading scorer of all of Europe’s big five leagues post 2022 World Cup is a doubt to start here after he limped off of United’s Europa League playoff win over FC Barcelona last night.
Not much is actually known about the specifics of his injury.
“I don’t know, the players now are coming in, we have to do investigations, medical of course we did straight after the game, but most of the time you have to wait for a 100 percent diagnosis,” United manager Erik ten Hag said at his press conference today.
“So let’s do the medical, the work, we have to wait.”
Elsewhere Christian Eriksen (ankle), Anthony Martial (hip) and Donny van de Beek (knee) remain sidelined. Mason Greenwood remains indefinitely suspended, with the club set to make a call on his future in the off-season.
For the Geordies, Joelinton (thigh) and Joe Willock (thigh) are doubts while Nick Pope (suspension) and Emil Krafth (knee) are out.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.