Oh no, City players will have to travel by bus

One week after the Champions League matches, English clubs will use Tuesday and Wednesday games for Carabao Cup games. And surely the most interesting one in the thrid round is Newcastle – Manchester City. Both teams finished in the top four last season and play in UEFA's most profitable competition and now will play tonight at 20h (UK time). City coach Pep Guardiola has injury problems ahead of this match, would like to win the game too (as he always does), but it seems that the Spaniard thinks more about the aftermath then the game itself.

After the encounter tonight, his players will have to come back home by bus in a 230 km drive which will take up to three hours. So, they will come home in the early morning, and that's Pep's biggest concern. Trains are not operating at the time of their departure, while they haven't sourced a plane for after they drew Newcastle, so that's out of the question too.

“The bus is no problem but we arrive much later. We cannot come back by plane, there are problems with the planes so we have to take a bus and will be two or three hours later, much later than we expect“ said Guardiola.

Pep has found a perfect replacement for his injured midfielders - himself!

There is also a question of the game itself, and even thou the Magpies will come out in full force (minus the injuries), the Citizens will have to field a different squad, mainly due to injuries. Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker will be given the night off, while Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne remain injured. Rodri is serving the first of a three-match suspension for violent conduct, while Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic have returned from their injuries and should play.

“At the beginning of the season there are always five or six players who don't play regularly and this competition is perfect. That's when everyone is fit. But now it's an exceptional situation, we have a lot of players injured or with a lot of minutes in their legs. They have to rest. Wolves, Leipzig and Arsenal are much more important. The problem is the lack of rest - especially mentally. Two or three weeks off between seasons, it's nothing. The problem is a lack of rest, year on year. I complain a little bit here and then forget it“ said the Spaniard, who also said he won't play kids from the academy, since they are still not ready to play against Newcastle away.

EFL CUP - ROUND OF 32

Tuesday

Bradford City - Middlesbrough 0-2 (0-1)

/Latte Lath 21, Rogers 54/

Exeter - Luton 1-0 (0-0)

/Mitchell 83/

Ipswich Town - Wolves 3-2 (2-2)

/Hutchinson 28, Ladapo 39, Taylor 58 - Hwang 4, Toti 15/

Mansfield - Peterborough 2-2 (1-1)

/Swan 5 pen Akins 90+3 pen - Clarke-Harris 30, 47/

Mansfield win on penalties.

Port Vale - Sutton 2-1 (0-0)

/Thomas 49, Ojo 83 - Kasimu 70/

Salford - Burnley 0-4 (0-3)

/Berge 12, Larsen 20, O'Shea 27, Odobert 81/

Manchester United - Crystal Palace 3-0 (2-0)

/Garnacho 21, Casemiro 27, Martial 55/

Wednesday

21.45: (1.75) Aston Villa (3.60) Everton (4.90)

21.45: (2.05) Blackburn (3.50) Cardiff (3.60)

21.45: (1.65) Bournemouth (3.70) Stoke (5.60)

21.45: (3.45) Brentford (3.50) Arsenal (2.10)

21.45: (2.45) Chelsea (3.45) Brighton (2.80)

21.45: (1.60) Fulham (3.90) Norwich (5.80)

21.45: (9.00) Lincoln City (5.00) West Ham (1.35)

21.45: (1.45) Liverpool (4.50) Leicester (7.00)

22.00: (2.80) Newcastle (3.40) Man City (2.50)

***odds are subject to change