Aston Villa v Manchester City Carabao Cup final: Big match preview including best bets, team news, stats and more
Aston Villa face Man City at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. We provide an all-in-one match preview with team news, stats and more.
When is the Carabao Cup final and what time is kick-off??
The 2019/20 Carabao Cup final is on Sunday, March 1 and will kick-off at 1630 GMT at Wembley Stadium.
How can I watch it?
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports or, alternatively, you can follow it with our live coverage on Sporting Life.
We will be at Wembley to keep across the action before, during and after. Follow us on Twitter and check out the website throughout the day.
What are the latest odds?
Aston Villa - 18/1
Draw - 7/1
Man City - 1/7
Click here to see more Sky Bet odds
What are the latest Price Boosts?
- Sergio Aguero to score a hat trick - 10/1
- Kevin De Bruyne to score from outside the penalty area - 6/1
- Riyad Mahrez to score first - 11/2
- Jack Grealish to score from outside the penalty area - 20/1
Team news
ASTON VILLA
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn has failed in his bid to make the squad for Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.
McGinn fractured his ankle just before Christmas and had hoped to be available for the game but, despite stringent efforts to get fit, will be forced to watch from the sidelines.
Striker Keinan Davis returned to training on Monday from his latest hamstring injury and could be available. Striker Wesley (knee), and goalkeepers Tom Heaton (knee) and Jed Steer (calf) are all long term absentees.
- Provisional squad: Reina, Nyland, Sarkic, Guilbert, Engels, Konsa, Mings, Taylor, Drinkwater, Elmohamady, Luiz, Nakamba, Targett, Grealish, Trezeguet, El Ghazi, Hourihane, Jota, Lansbury, Samatta, Baston, Davis, Vassilev.
MAN CITY
Manchester City are without defender Aymeric Laporte.
The French centre-back, who has endured an injury-ravaged season, faces up to another month out with a hamstring problem.
Winger Leroy Sane is City's only other major absentee but the German, out since August with knee ligament damage, is due to step up his comeback with a run-out for the Under-23s. Number two goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is set to play.
- Provisional squad: Bravo, Ederson, Carson, Walker, Cancelo, Otamendi, Stones, Fernandinho, Garcia, Mendy, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, B Silva, D Silva, Sterling, Foden, Mahrez, Jesus, Aguero.
What the managers say
DEAN SMITH
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has urged his players to embrace the role of underdog in Sunday's Carabao Cup final.
Villa go into the game on the back of three successive Premier League defeats, while opponents Manchester City will be buoyed from a stand-out victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Villa have also been beaten by an aggregate of 9-1 in their two league encounters with City this season, including a 6-1 hammering at home in January.
Despite that, Smith said: "It's an opportunity for our players to etch themselves into the history of the club.
"We're massive underdogs against a world-class team, but I can only name one or two other teams who wouldn't be underdogs going into the game against City.
"They're a fantastic team, no matter which 11 they put out, and they've a fantastic coach which is why they can go to the Bernabeu and get a result.
"But I like sometimes being the underdog because we can go and have a good fight without people expecting anything of us."
To that end, Smith does not see Villa's first appearance in a cup final as any kind of burden.
"It's not a weight," he said. "If anybody had told me nine years ago, when I started out as manager of Walsall, that I'd be a Premier League manager leading Villa into a cup final with a chance to win a trophy then I would have said they're crackers.
"We've done well to get to the final, and now we've an opportunity against one of the world's best teams."
PEP GUARDIOLA
After a big result in Madrid, Manchester City will now turn their attention to Sunday's showpiece against Villa at Wembley.
Victory would give City a sixth domestic trophy in succession after winning all three major pieces of silverware last season and the past two Community Shields.
Guardiola said: "Since we won the Carabao Cup as our first title together, we have played 11 competitions. If we win on Sunday, we will have won eight. Eight out of 11 at this level is incredible, and it would be the last six domestic titles in a row.
"There are no words to express my gratitude to these players. It is honestly so difficult to do it and to maintain that."
City's victory at the Bernabeu in midweek was a memorable one but Guardiola did not spend long celebrating.
He said: "The night after Madrid, we were calm but when we landed back here, Madrid was absolutely gone in my mind and I was thinking about Aston Villa. That is the only way clubs become stronger every year."
CARABAO CUP: In numbers
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at their Wembley showdown in numbers.
6 - Manchester City have won the League Cup on six previous occasions - only Liverpool (eight) have won the tournament more times.
5 - Aston Villa have lifted the League Cup five times, placing them joint-third on the all-time list alongside Manchester United and Chelsea.
4 - City have reached the final in four of the last five seasons and are bidding to become the first side since Liverpool in the 1980s to win a hat-trick of League Cup titles.
4 - Liverpool won the League Cup in four successive seasons - 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984.
60 - Sunday's final will be the 60th in the competition's history. Villa won the first League Cup final in 1961, beating Rotherham 3-2 on aggregate over two legs.
5 - Liam Boyce is currently the leading goalscorer in this season's competition. He hit five in total for Burton before joining Hearts in January.
3 - Raheem Sterling has scored three times in this season's Carabao Cup, one goal fewer than Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane.
9 - Villa will be appearing in their ninth League Cup final on Sunday. City will be contesting their eighth.
19 - the number of goals Villa have scored in the Carabao Cup this season, including 6-1 and 5-0 wins against Crewe and Liverpool respectively.
12 - City have netted 12 goals in this season's competition.
2012 - the year the two clubs last met in the League Cup. Villa won 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium after extra time in the third round.
IN FOCUS: Those who got relegated
Aston Villa head into this weekend's Carabao Cup final with the club in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle.
These circumstances may seem unusual, but Villa's lowly league position should not deter Dean Smith and his men from securing a sixth EFL Cup crown.
There have been only two previous occasions where teams have tasted League Cup final glory and suffered top-flight relegation in the same season.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the two matches in question.
- Norwich - 1985
Norwich won their second League Cup in the 1984-85 season by defeating Sunderland 1-0 at Wembley thanks to an own goal from Gordon Chisholm, who deflected Asa Hartford's effort past goalkeeper Chris Turner. Unfortunately for the Canaries, their cup success did not translate in the league and they were relegated from the top flight, having won 13 of their 42 league matches that season. Losing finalists Sunderland were also relegated from the First Division at the end of the campaign.
- Birmingham - 2011
Birmingham found themselves in the League Cup final for only the third time in their history in 2011, 48 years after claiming their first major trophy. Despite being the underdogs against an Arsenal side who had not won a major honour in six years, Birmingham took the lead in the 28th minute courtesy of Nikola Zigic, who flicked Roger Johnson's initial header from a corner past Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Robin Van Persie levelled before half-time, but Blues substitute Obafemi Martins scored in the final minute to earn a 2-1 win at Wembley. Birmingham were relegated on a dramatic final day of the Premier League season when losing at Tottenham.
In the FA Cup, Wigan are the only team to win the competition and be relegated in the same season, triumphing 1-0 against Manchester City in 2013.
There have been five teams who have lost the FA Cup final and were relegated from the top flight in the same campaign: Manchester City (1926), Leicester (1969), Brighton (1983), Middlesbrough (1997) and Portsmouth (2010).
Man City's hat-trick bid
Manchester City will be aiming for their third successive League Cup title when they take on Aston Villa in Sunday's Wembley final.
Only Liverpool have managed such a feat, winning it four times in a row from 1981-1984, so Pep Guardiola's men will hope to close in on that record.
Here, the PA news agency looks at City's run, Liverpool's feat and Aston Villa's record in this competition.
- Chasing the trilogy
Guardiola won his first trophy in English football when City won the 2017/18 Carabao Cup. After edging past Bristol City in the semi-final, Guardiola's side were far too strong for Arsenal at Wembley as they won 3-0 thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva.
They followed it up with another success 12 months later as Chelsea were beaten 4-3 on penalties after a drab 0-0 draw remembered best for Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refusing to be substituted.
This year City have again taken the competition seriously, getting past Preston, Southampton, Oxford and a two-legged semi-final with Manchester United to again reach the final.
- Liverpool's domination
Last time Liverpool were top of the pile in English football they dominated the League Cup with a run of four wins in the 1980s. In 1981 they beat West Ham 2-1 in a replay, then downed Tottenham 3-1 12 months later before the hat-trick was completed in 1983 with a 2-1 win over Manchester United. The fourth came in with a 1-0 replay victory over Everton at Maine Road.
- Victorious Villa
Aston Villa will always be synonymous with the League Cup as they won the first ever edition, beating Rotherham over two legs in 1961. They won it twice more in the 1970s and two times in the 1990s, beating Manchester United and Leeds in the space of three years. Villa are tied with Chelsea and United on five titles and will draw level with City on six if they can upset the odds at Wembley.
PAST VISITS
HOW ASTON VILLA HAVE FARED IN LEAGUE CUP FINALS
It is the ninth time Villa have reached final of the competition, lifting the trophy on five previous occasions.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the club's previous record in the final.
- 1961: Aston Villa 3 Rotherham 2 (two legs)
Villa claimed their first League Cup crown after coming back from 2-0 down in the first leg. Alan O'Neill, Harry Burrows and Peter McParland - after extra time - struck in the second match to earn a 3-0 home win.
- 1963: Aston Villa 1 Birmingham 3 (two legs)
Villa were beaten over two legs by bitter city rivals Birmingham. They suffered a 3-1 first-leg defeat at St Andrew's - Bobby Thompson's late consolation not enough with Birmingham winning thanks to a Ken Leek double and Jimmy Bloomfield's strike - before a 0-0 draw at Villa Park.
- 1971: Aston Villa 0 Tottenham 2
Ten years after their first appearance, Villa returned to the final but two Martin Chivers goals in the final 12 minutes gave Tottenham the cup.
- 1975: Aston Villa 1 Norwich 0
Ray Graydon netted an 81st-minute winner against the Canaries for Villa, who included future League Cup-winning manager Brian Little in their side.
- 1977: Aston Villa 3 Everton 2 (second replay)
Villa needed two replays to finally lift the League Cup. After drawing 0-0 in the final and 1-1 in the replay, they beat Everton 3-2 at Old Trafford a month after the first meeting. Brian Little's brace and Chris Nicholl's goal helped them to victory after extra time.
- 1994: Aston Villa 3 Manchester United 1
A Dean Saunders double and Dalian Atkinson's opener earned Villa the trophy despite Mark Hughes' late consolation for Manchester United.
- 1996: Aston Villa 3 Leeds 0
Savo Milosevic, Ian Taylor and Dwight Yorke scored to win Villa's last major piece of silverware as Brian Little guided his team, which included Gareth Southgate, to a comfortable victory over Leeds.
- 2010: Aston Villa 1 Manchester United 2
James Milner opened the scoring from the penalty spot, although Villa felt Nemanja Vidic should have been sent off when he took down Gabriel Agbonlahor for the penalty, but Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney hit back to clinch the cup for United.
HOW MANCHESTER CITY HAVE FARED IN LEAGUE CUP FINALS
This will be the Citizens' eighth final, having lifted the cup six times and only falling to defeat once.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the club's previous record in the final.
- 1969-70 : Man City 2-1 West Brom (aet)
City claimed their first league cup title after coming from 1-0 down against West Brom to secure a 2-1 victory in the 102nd minute. Goals from Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe secured victory for the Sky Blues.
- 1973-74 : Man City 1-2 Wolves
Four years after their first success City found themselves in the final again against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Colin Bell brought the game level at 1-1 in the 59th minute but Wolves would find the winner through John Richards in the 85th minute.
- 1975-76 : Man City 2-1 Newcastle
Two years after the narrow defeat to Wolves, City had another chance at securing League Cup glory. A first-half strike from Peter Barnes and a memorable overhead kick from Dennis Tueart in a 2-1 win against Newcastle United, secured Manchester City's second League Cup title.
- 2013-14: Man City 3-1 Sunderland
After a wait of 38 years City returned to the final for the fourth time to face Sunderland. Despite an opening goal in the first 10 minutes from the Black Cats, goals from Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas secured a third League Cup win for the Citizens.
- 2015-16: Man City 1-1 Liverpool
(aet, Man City win 3-1 on penalties)
Man City's fourth win would be a much tighter affair then their previous successful campaigns. Fernandinho opened the scoring for City but Liverpool equalised in the 89th minute through Philippe Coutinho. After a goalless extra time period, the Blues secured another League Cup victory after a penalty shootout.
- 2017-18: Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal
In Pep Guardiola's first cup final and first major triumph in charge of Manchester City, the Citizens eased past Arsenal 3-0 courtesy of goals form Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva.
- 2018-19: Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
(aet, Man City win 4-3 on penalties)
City reached the final for the second year running and faced Chelsea as they looked to defend their League Cup title. Although there were no goals in normal time or extra time of the tie, penalties from Ilkay Gundogan, Aguero, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling secured Guardiola's second league cup victory in as many years.
Richard Jolly starts his first Sporting Life column by looking at the stats behind Aston Villa's captain and star man ahead of Carabao Cup final.
The Carabao Cup final sees Manchester City defend their title against Aston Villa. Tom Carnduff picks out two best bets.
OPTA STATS
- This will be the 60th League Cup final and the 57th different match-up of teams in the final – Aston Villa and Manchester City have met four times previously in the competition, with Villa winning three times and City once.
- Aston Villa are competing in their ninth League Cup final, with only Liverpool playing in more (12) - they have won the trophy five times, most recently in 1996 against Leeds United.
- Manchester City have won the League Cup six times, a tally surpassed only by Liverpool (eight). City have won the trophy in four of the last six seasons, including each of the last two; the only team to win it three years in a row are Liverpool, who won it in four consecutive years between 1981 and 1984.
- Man City have won seven of their last eight matches against Aston Villa in all competitions (D1), scoring 26 goals and conceding just three across those games.
- This will be the first ever meeting between Aston Villa and Man City at Wembley and only their second ever at a neutral venue, with Man City winning 6-1 at Leeds Road in Huddersfield in the 1933-34 FA Cup semi-final.
- Only one of the last 10 teams to lose the second leg of their League Cup semi-final but progress to the final have gone on to win the trophy, with Manchester United doing so in 2016-17 after losing against Hull City in their semi-final second leg before beating Southampton in the final.
- Manchester City have progressed or won the final of each of their last 18 domestic English cup ties (FA/League Cup), the longest run since Chelsea between October 2006 and February 2008 (also 18 in a row), whose run was ended by a League Cup final defeat against Spurs.
- Since Brian Little won the League Cup in 1996 with Aston Villa, an English manager has picked up the trophy in just one of the last 23 seasons, with Steve McClaren winning it with Middlesbrough in 2004.
- Aston Villa are the fourth newly-promoted Premier League side to reach a League Cup, and the first since Wigan Athletic in 2005-06, who lost 4-0 to Man Utd. The other two won the trophy – Leicester City in 1996-97 and Blackburn Rovers in 2001-02.
- Man City striker Sergio Agüero has scored nine goals in his last five starts against Aston Villa, all in the Premier League, including a hat-trick in a 6-1 win in January. The Argentine has scored five and assisted two more in nine appearances at Wembley for City, though he hasn’t scored or assisted in his last two games there.
- Aston Villa have had 12 different scorers (excluding own goals) in the League Cup this season, four more than any other side and five more than Man City. The last team to have more in a campaign was Bristol City in 2017-18 (14).
- Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in nine goals in his last five appearances at Wembley for club and country, scoring seven goals and assisting two more.
- Aston Villa have scored 19 League Cup goals this season, with Manchester City the last team to score 20 in a season back in 2013-14 (22). The Villans last scored more in a campaign during 1985-86, scoring 25 times.
- This will be Man City manager Pep Guardiola 25th final as a top-flight manager, winning 20 of the previous 24, including all five with City (two Community Shields, two League Cups, one FA Cup). Four of his previous seven finals have gone to penalty shootouts (W3 L1).
- Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has managed in two previous Wembley finals, losing the Football League Trophy final in 2014-15 with Walsall against Bristol City but winning 2-1 in last season’s Championship play-off final with Villa against Derby.
Odds correct at time of publication
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