Newcastle travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City
Seeking to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit, EFL Cup holders Newcastle United travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in an intriguing second-leg showdown on Wednesday night.
The victors of this all-Premier League contest will be in the final at Wembley Stadium on March 22.
Man City are in the driving seat to reach their 23rd domestic cup final at Wembley under the tutelage of manager Pep Guardiola, after securing a commanding 2-0 first-leg victory over Newcastle at St James’ Park three weeks ago.
Since that first-leg win, Guardiola and co have suffered a dip in form (W2 D1 L2) and most recently played out a frustrating 2-2 Premier League draw with Tottenham in North London on Sunday
Man City will nevertheless welcome Wednesday’s return to the Etihad where they have won 14 of their 18 home games in all competitions this season (D2 L2), while they have also won each of their last 11 home encounters with Newcastle by an aggregate score of 37-3, including a 4-0 top-flight victory in February 2025.
Newcastle do have the attackers at their disposal to trouble Man City’s leaky defence and exploit their high line, but the Citizens possess enough quality of their own in the final third to outscore their opponents and should secure an aggregate victory to reach the final.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Inter Milan host Torino in Coppa Italia quarter-final
Already on course to claim the league title, Inter Milan will continue their quest for a domestic double when they host Torino in Wednesday’s Coppa Italia quarter-final.
Two teams in very different form will convene for a cup tie at San Siro, with the winner set to meet either Napoli or Como in the last four.
Now, before resuming their Scudetto challenge with a weekend visit to bogey club Sassuolo, Inter Milan must return to their Coppa Italia campaign.
Nine-time winners – most recently in 2023 – Inter lost to city rivals AC Milan in last season’s semis, but they entered this term’s competition with a statement of intent, thumping Venezia 5-1 in the last 16.
That booked a quarter-final clash with perhaps their favourite opponents: the Nerazzurri have won 12 of their last 13 league meetings with Torino, and each of the last seven by a 17-2 aggregate score.
Following a 5-0 thrashing there in August, Torino are winless in their last 19 league visits to San Siro – including games against Milan.
Given that context, they should have next to no chance of eliminating Inter, but they did defy long odds to knock out Roma with a dramatic last-16 win at Stadio Olimpico.
The hosts are still missing regular starters Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella, but Carlos Augusto could return after missing Sunday’s trip to Cremona.
Inter boast a flawless record against clubs inside the bottom half of Serie A -and the Nerazzurri are also a formidable force at San Siro, where Torino have repeatedly failed down the years.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Valencia, Athletic Club Bilbao face-off in Copa del Rey
Valencia CF are gearing up to have a face-off against Athletic Club Bilbao for their quarterfinals fixture of the 2025-26 Copa del Rey. Mestalla Stadium will witness this interesting contest between these clubs.
Valencia have come up with some decent performances in their last few games. They will be at home for their Spanish cup contest and this will be an advantage for them. Real Betis outplayed Valencia CF in their LaLiga outing, but their confidence levels will still be on the positive side.
Athletic Club Bilbao have been performing poorly this season. The upcoming Copa del Rey clash will not be an easy one for them. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad in their last league game. Athletic Club Bilbao came up with an underwhelming effort against Los Ches last time around, but will be keen to turn the tide now.
Valencia will miss out on the services of Julen Agirrezabala, Mouctar Diakhaby and Thierry Correia as they are injured. Guido Rodriguez and Daniel Raba might miss out due to lack of fitness.
Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet, Maroan Sannadi, Benat Prados, Unai Eguiuz and Daniel Vivian are not going to be in action for Athletic Club due to their injuries.
Neither of these clubs can afford to lose this fixture. Valencia are likely to come out on top and secure a win against Athletic Club Bilbao.
Credit: khelnow.com
Alaves welcome Real Sociedad to Mendizorrotza Stadium
Alaves will welcome Basque rivals Real Sociedad to Mendizorrotza Stadium on Wednesday night, with the pair battling for a spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
Real Sociedad have won this competition on two occasions, with their last success coming in 2019-20, while Alaves have been in the final once before (2017).
Alaves’ only appearance in the final of the Copa del Rey came in the 2016-17 season, when they took on Barcelona, suffering a 3-1 defeat to the Catalan outfit.
The Blue and Whites are therefore looking to create history this season, going in search of their first-ever Copa del Rey title, and they have been impressive in the 2025-26 tournament, winning four matches to reach this stage.
Indeed, Eduardo Coudet‘s side have overcome Deportivo Getxo, Portugalete, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano to book a spot in the quarter-finals.
Alaves will enter this match off the back of an excellent result in La Liga, beating Espanyol 2-1, which made it back-to-back successes in Spain’s top flight.
The Basque outfit are currently 10th in the La Liga table, only three points behind eighth-placed Real Sociedad, and this is shaping up to be a fascinating battle in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
This is such a difficult match to call, and it would certainly not be a surprise to see Real Sociedad secure a spot in the semi-finals. Alaves have been excellent in their last two matches, though, and we believe that the home side could edge a close match here.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
English League Cup
Manchester City 20:00 Newcastle United
Spanish Copa Del Rey
Coppa Italia
