Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has expressed his preference for a single-leg Carabao Cup semi-final, rather than the current two-leg format in place for the tournament’s penultimate stage.
This weekend, City kicked off their 2025-26 FA Cup campaign with a decisive 10-0 victory against Exeter City, featuring nine different players scoring for the team. Pepijn Lijnders managed the side in Guardiola’s absence, as the latter served a suspension from the stands.
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After starting the new year with three consecutive draws against Sunderland, Chelsea, and Brighton, concerns have emerged regarding Manchester City’s chances in the Premier League, as they find themselves six points behind the league leaders, Arsenal.
Despite a heavy reliance on Erling Haaland in attack this season, Guardiola recently welcomed Antoine Semenyo to the squad, aiming to reinforce a frontline that has struggled to convert chances since the turn of the year.
As they face a challenging schedule in the upcoming month, including the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, Guardiola shared his thoughts on the two-legged structure of a competition in which City has thrived since he took over in 2016.
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“I’ve said for the past ten years that I would prefer the Carabao Cup semi-final to be a one-off match,” the 54-year-old remarked during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
As January progresses, City is preparing for a tough series of matches, competing for trophies on four fronts and aiming to recover from their recent Premier League performance that allowed Arsenal to gain a comfortable lead.
The team is likely to field their strongest lineup against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, although Guardiola will have one eye on the upcoming Manchester derby when deciding on his selections for the Carabao Cup semi-final.
With several key players unavailable, the addition of Semenyo has provided a much-needed boost to the attack. Meanwhile, at the Etihad Stadium, the search for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi is intensifying, especially following injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol earlier this month.
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Dias sustained a hamstring injury during City’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea, while Gvardiol is facing a lengthy recovery after undergoing surgery for a tibial fracture in his right leg. He is expected to be sidelined for four to five months.
Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb, and John Stones are still out, and despite being named on the bench against Exeter, Nico Gonzalez has yet to return to action since his injury layoff.