Wembley is calling: How to watch Man Utd vs Newcastle live in the Carabao Cup final on February 26, 2023

Topics: TV Schedules, Manchester United, Newcastle, Carabao Cup final

The Red Devils lock horns with the Magpies as both clubs aim to end their trophy droughts. Here's how you can watch this clash in over 175 countries.

The Carabao Cup final is here! Manchester United prepare for a date with destiny as the most successful club in Premier League history aim to end their well-known trophy drought. However, standing in their way is Newcastle, a team just as hungry for silverware, as the Magpies look to announce themselves as giants by beating the Red Devils at Wembley Stadium.

Eddie Howe's men have been spectacular all season but form undeniably favors the 20-time English top-flight champions. Erik ten Hag's men enter this game on the back of two brilliant results, the first of which was the 3-0 victory at home to Leicester last weekend, which was their third victory from their last five league fixtures after drawing with Leeds and losing to Arsenal.

The scintillating Marcus Rashford bagged a brace in that triumph, with Jadon Sancho also getting on the scoresheet to slowly — but promisingly — work his way back up the pecking order. That result set them up perfectly for the midweek clash with Barcelona in the UEFA Europa League, with the Red Devils producing another victory to highlight their remarkable turnaround under Ten Hag.

This Knockout Round Playoffs tie ended in a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Camp Nou. However, Old Trafford has been a fortress this season and the English giants proved this once again as they came back from a goal down to beat the Catalan giants 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) and progress to the last 16.

However, the Carabao Cup final will not be played at the Theatre of Dreams. Instead, it will be staged at the iconic Wembley Stadium. Nonetheless, Rashford and Co. are unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions and have lost only once since last November.

Nonetheless, the mighty Manchester United haven't won a trophy in six years, which is alarming for a club of their stature. The last man to guide this side to silverware was Jose Mourinho, with the Special One ironically leading them to the Carabao Cup and Europa League crowns — the two competitions Ten Hag's side stand the best chance of winning.

Manchester United's path to the final wasn't the most difficult, it should be noted. The Red Devils overcame the likes of Aston Villa, Burnley, Carlton Athletic, and Nottingham Forest to get here. Nonetheless, they are still just 90 minutes away from winning a title in Ten Hag's debut season, which would be a brilliant achievement for the former Ajax boss.

Newcastle, on the other hand, are another side that have long been waiting for accolades as well. The Magpies have undergone a whopping 67-year trophy drought and, as mentioned earlier, victory over Manchester United would not only end this run but also announce themselves as one of the big boys.

Since the takeover by the Saudi-led consortium, Eddie Howe's men have been nothing but stellar. So far the top-four contenders have lost to only one big-six club and that is Liverpool, which proves just how far they've evolved from the relegation-battling side under Steve Bruce.

Additionally, Trippier and Co. had to overcome a number of Premier League sides to get to the final, beating the likes of Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Leicester, and Southampton to make it to Wembley.

However, the Magpies have been enduring a slump recently. Earlier this season, Newcastle were seen as the club to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City to make the two-way title battle into a three-way race. Unfortunately, the Carabao Cup finalists are now fifth in the table after failing to win their last three games in a row.

In fact, Howe's side have only won four of their last 11 matches across all competitions, with five of those fixtures ending in stalemates. Additionally, there is the goalkeeping crisis as Nick Pope is unavailable due to suspension after getting sent off in the loss to Liverpool. Likewise, Martin Dúbravka, his deputy, is cup-tied and thus cannot feature, meaning Loris Karius will probably start in between the sticks, thus complicating matters for the Magpies.

Team news

Manchester United: The biggest concern is the fitness of Marcus Rashford, with the English attacker limping out of Old Trafford following the win over Barcelona. Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek are long-term absentees while Anthony Martial might not be fit in time for this tie. However, Antony, who scored the winner against the Blaugrana, is back, as is Casemiro after completing his three-match suspension.

Newcastle: As mentioned earlier, Nick Pope and Martin Dúbravka will play no part in this final, meaning Loris Karius could start in goal five years after his horrendous performance for Liverpool in that infamous UEFA Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Emil Krafth has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will be out for months while January signing Anthony Gordon is cup-tied. However, it isn't all bad news as Bruno Guimaraes is back from suspension while Joelinton and Joe Willock should shake off their knocks in time for this tie.

Key stats

Newcastle have won only once in their last three Carabao Cup encounters with the Red Devils.
The last time these two teams met in a cup final was the 1999 FA Cup final, with Manchester United winning 2-0 en route to their historic treble.
Manchester United have won this trophy five times before, making them the third most successful club in this competition. However, they also boast the third most number of defeats in Carabao Cup finals (4), sitting behind only Arsenal and Spurs.
The Magpies are currently on an eight-game losing streak at Wembley, the worst run by any club in history at that iconic stadium.
Since 2009/10, no manager has won more Carabao Cup games than Eddie Howe, tied with Pep Guardiola on 22 victories.