When Manchester United takes on Newcastle United on Sunday it will mark the 19th matchup to have been staged as both a League Cup and FA Cup final. So embrace the history here!
When these sides met in the 1999 FA Cup final, United won 2-0 as part of their historic Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League treble. United have not won a trophy, of any sort, since 2017, so that marks a half-decade now.
Man United vs Newcastle League Cup Final FYIs
Kickoff: Sun Feb. 26, 4:30 pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Fun Fact: This is Newcastle’s first League Cup final since 1976, with that 47 year drought the longest stretch between finals in League Cup history
Stat Pack: United are competing in their 10th League Cup final; only Liverpool (13) have played in more.
Five years isn’t a ton of time, really, in the grand scheme of things, but at the European Capital of Trophies, where they have won the league 20 times, it’s an eternity.
No matter what happens, United are the club that stayed alive the longest in all four competitions over the span of the 2022-23 season.
Of course, it doesn’t mean anything unless you close the deal and lift the trophy. Manager Erik ten Hag echoed those sentiments today.
“It (being in four competitions) is not success but the road to success,” he said at a presser today.
“It’s only success when you win trophies. On Sunday we have an opportunity to have a success.”
Starting XI Predictions
Newcastle United
Karius; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin
Manchester United
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
Prediction: Man United 2, Newcastle 1
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the only United manager, post- Sir Alex Ferguson, never to have won a trophy. Ten Hag will now join David Moyes (yes, even him), Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho as United gaffers to grab silverware.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.