The “Walking Wounded” Semi-Final: Newcastle vs. Manchester City
By [Your Name/Journalistic Byline]
January 13, 2026 – Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
St James’ Park tonight will feel less like a football stadium and more like a high-stakes survival exercise. At 8:00 PM GMT, Newcastle United and Manchester City will march out for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, but don’t expect to see the full constellations of stars usually associated with these two powerhouses.
As journalist Subhojyoti Basu noted in his late-night report on January 12, both Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola are managing “teams on life support.” With an injury list that reads like a Who’s Who of the Premier League’s elite, tonight is a battle of makeshift defenses and tactical desperation.
The Defensive Graveyard
The headline news for both teams is a complete collapse of their defensive structures.
Manchester City’s “Unthinkable” Reshuffle:
Pep Guardiola is facing a crisis he hasn’t seen in years. The pillars of his defense—Josko Gvardiol (broken leg), Ruben Dias (hamstring), and John Stones (thigh)—are all out. In their place, Pep has had to recall Max Alleyne from a loan at Watford and lean heavily on the young Uzbek international, Abdukodir Khusanov.
Newcastle’s “Skeleton Crew”:
Eddie Howe is in a similarly grim boat. Fabian Schär, Dan Burn, Jamaal Lascelles, and Tino Livramento are all sidelined. The Magpies’ defense, usually a fortress at home, is currently being held together by Sven Botman and the versatile Malick Thiaw, with teenage midfielder Lewis Miley potentially forced into a makeshift defensive role.
The “Semenyo Loophole”: A New Rule Change
If Eddie Howe sounded frustrated in his pre-match briefing, it was because of Antoine Semenyo.
Manchester City’s blockbuster £65 million signing from Bournemouth just made history. Despite playing for Bournemouth in an earlier round of this competition, Semenyo is eligible to play tonight thanks to “Rule 6.4″—a new EFL regulation for the 2025/26 season that scrapped traditional “cup-tied” restrictions.
Semenyo comes into this game in terrifying form, having scored and assisted on his debut in City’s 10-1 demolition of Exeter City just three days ago. For a depleted Newcastle defense, Semenyo represents a nightmare “Plan A” that they weren’t expecting to face.
Predicted Line-Ups: Tactical Chess with B-Team Pieces
Based on the reports from Basu and the latest fitness updates from both camps, here is how the two sides are expected to line up for the first leg.
Newcastle United (4-3-3)
- GK: Aaron Ramsdale – The hero of the Bournemouth shootout keeps his place.
- DEF: Lewis Miley, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall – A young, experimental backline that will have to be perfect against Haaland.
- MID: Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton – The “Iron Core” of the midfield is Newcastle’s only healthy department and will be tasked with winning the physical battle.
- FWD: Anthony Gordon, Yoane Wissa, Harvey Barnes – Barnes is in the form of his life and will be the primary target for Guimarães’ long balls.
Manchester City (4-1-4-1)
- GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Pep is expected to recall his No. 1 for the semi-final.
- DEF: Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Max Alleyne, Nico O’Reilly – A defense that City fans could never have imagined six months ago.
- MID: Rodri – The only constant. He will be asked to act as a human shield for the young center-backs behind him.
- ATT: Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders, Jérémy Doku – A creative swarm designed to overwhelm Newcastle’s makeshift full-backs.
- FWD: Erling Haaland – The cyborg remains, and he’ll be licking his lips at a Newcastle defense missing its three tallest players.
The Tactical Outlook: Control vs. Chaos
Subhojyoti Basu’s analysis suggests that Guardiola will move away from his usual “heavy metal” football tonight. With a defense this fragile, City’s priority is control. Expect them to play a “suffocation” game, keeping the ball for long periods to prevent Newcastle from igniting the St James’ Park crowd.
Newcastle, meanwhile, will lean into the chaos. With Barnes and Gordon on the wings, Howe will want to turn this into a track meet, targeting City’s inexperienced center-backs, Khusanov and Alleyne, before they have a chance to settle.
The Verdict: This isn’t just a semi-final; it’s a test of squad depth and managerial ingenuity. Whoever can hide their defensive scars better will take the advantage back to the Etihad for the second leg.