Carabao Cup final 2023 LIVE commentary: Manchester United and Newcastle face off for first domestic trophy of the season at Wembley

Manchester United take on Premier League top four rivals Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final this Sunday.

The competition gives teams the chance to claim the first available domestic silverware of the campaign.

And the final for this year’s edition is now set and we are ready for a thriller.

Newcastle beat Southampton 3-1 on aggregate in their semi to reach their first cup final since 1999.

And the Toon will take on Man United after they beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 over their two-legged clash.

Carabao Cup final: talkSPORT coverage

The 2022/23 Carabao Cup final will be played on Sunday, February 26. 

It will be held at Wembley Stadium and the match will kick-off at 4:30pm.

Full coverage will be live on talkSPORT.

Ade Oladipo will host a special build-up show from Wembley BoxPark from 1pm before Adrian Durham presents our full coverage from 3pm.

Commentary of the match itself will then come from Sam Matterface, former England defender Stuart Pearce and former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Carabao Cup final: Match details

David Coote will referee the final while the video assistant referee will be Peter Bankes.

There will be 30 minutes of extra time if necessary before a penalty shoot-out.

Both teams can name nine substitutes and use a maximum of five. A sixth sub will be allowed should the game go the distance.

Carabao Cup final: Team news

Man United midfielder Casemiro will return following his recent suspension.

Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek are long-term injury absentees while Anthony Martial has since been ruled out.

But both Antony and Harry Maguire both returned from small knocks against Barcelona in midweek, and the former’s winner in that match could put him in line to start here.

The big news for Newcastle is that Nick Pope will be banned for the cup final following his red card against Liverpool over the weekend.

Martin Dubravka is cup-tied, so Loris Karius is expected to start in goal for what would be his competitive debut.

In better news for the Toon, Bruno Guimaraes has now served his own suspension so should start.

And Joelinton is expected to shake off a knock to play.

Joe Willock has a slight hamstring issue and faces a race against time to be fit.

Matt Targett, who hasn’t played since November due to a heel injury, is set to be included in the matchday squad.

Carabao Cup final: What has been said?

United boss Erik ten Hag: “It’s great but you play finals to win. It is not an achievement to come into a final. We want to win them.

“It is good to reach the final but it is not about reaching the final, it is about winning it.

“It has to give the motivation in the first place, we want to bring that cup to the fans.”

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe: “We’re desperate to do well and do the club proud. We’re pleased the game is here.

“I believe we can win any game against any team, home or away, if we’re absolutely at our best and I think we’ve proved that this season.

“We believe the power is in our hands and it’s up to us to perform at our best levels.”

Carabao Cup final: Match stats and facts

• Newcastle United have lost their last eight matches at Wembley, the longest ever losing run by a team at Wembley in history. Their last win at the national stadium was in the 1955 FA Cup final against Manchester City, 67 years and 295 days since the date of this game.
• Manchester United are competing in their 10th League Cup final, with only Liverpool (13) ever playing in more. Only Liverpool (9) and Manchester City (8) have won the trophy more often than the Red Devils (5), while only Arsenal (6) and Tottenham (5) have lost more League Cup finals than Man Utd (4).
• This is Newcastle United’s first League Cup final since 1976, with their gap of 47 years the longest gap between finals in League Cup history. The Magpies have lost their last four major finals (1974, 1998 and 1999 FA Cup finals, 1976 League Cup final) since a 6-2 aggregate win in the 1969 Fairs Cup final against Hungarian side Újpest.
• Manchester United have won two of their three League Cup meetings with Newcastle (L1), with this the first since a 2-1 home win in September 2012.
• Manchester United against Newcastle United will be the 19th fixture to have been played as both a League Cup and an FA Cup final. These sides met in the 1999 FA Cup final, with Man Utd winning 2-0 to secure the second part of their historic Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
• Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has been involved in 18 goals in his last 15 appearances in the League Cup, scoring 12 and assisting six. This season alone he’s got five goals and two assists in five games, averaging a goal or assist every 40 minutes in the competition this term.
• Newcastle striker Callum Wilson scored at Wembley for England against USA in November 2018 – he could become just the third player to score for both Newcastle and internationally at the stadium, after Jackie Milburn and Robert Lee.
• Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is set to become the first Dutch manager to take charge of a side in a League Cup final. Dutch managers have won three of their four domestic cup finals in England (all FA Cup – Ruud Gullit 1997, Guus Hiddink 2009, Louis van Gaal 2016), with the exception being Ruud Gullit’s Newcastle losing 2-0 against Manchester United in 1999.
• Since the 2009-10 season, when Eddie Howe first managed in the League Cup, no manager has more wins in the competition than he does (22, level with Pep Guardiola). He is looking to become the first Englishman to win the League Cup since Steve McClaren in 2003-04 with Middlesbrough, with English managers losing five finals since then (Jewell, Redknapp, Parkinson, Smith, Mason).
• This will be Manchester United’s 53rd match at Wembley Stadium (neutral venue only), at least 11 more than any other side. Meanwhile, they’re set to become the third side to play 20 (neutral) games at the stadium since its reopening in 2007, after Chelsea (28) and Manchester City (21).