Manchester United will go head-to-head with Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. And the Red Devils could have a distinct advantage over the Magpies if the match ends all square after 90 minutes.
United booked their place in the Carabao Cup final after seeing off Nottingham Forest over two legs in the semi-finals. Newcastle, meanwhile, reached the showpiece event following a last four triumph over Southampton.
During the earlier rounds of the competition, matches headed straight for a penalty shootout if they ended in a draw. But the Carabao Cup rules state that the final will include 30 minutes of extra-time if the teams can’t be separated after 90 minutes. And only if the teams are level after 120 minutes of action has been played will there be a penalty shootout.
The extra half an hour of football could play into the hands of Erik ten Hag’s side due to the squad depth the United manager has at his disposal.
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United aren’t short of options in their squad, with experienced internationals Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay not even regular starters at the moment. The likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have been in and out of the team in recent weeks, with Ten Hag spreading the workload over his extended squad. And Diogo Dalot and Antony have been eased back into things following injury layoffs.
Ten Hag will certainly have a selection headache when it comes to picking his team for the cup final. But he will have plenty of talent to turn to on his bench if things aren’t going his way during the match. And if the showdown ends up going to extra-time, the Dutchman will be able to call upon the fresh legs of a whole host of players who are arguably just as good as the stars who are set to play from the outset.
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