Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for the first leg of this second
EFL Cup semi-final!
Spurs gained a slender advantage over Chelsea in the first semi last night, but this one looks like a much more straightforward affair with holders and English champions Manchester City hosting Burton Albion of League One. It looks like a foregone conclusion, but Burton have been written off before in this season's competition and will just have a slither of hope that they can provide some more cup magic tonight.
There have been traffic problems in the area and there is the possibility that kickoff may be delayed, but for now it remains a 7.45pm game so let's start with a look at the team news...
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Muric; Walker, Otamendi, Garcia, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sane
SUBS: Ederson, Danilo, Stones, Sterling, Delph, Bernardo, Foden
BURTON ALBION STARTING XI: Collins; Brayford, Buxton, Allen, Turner, Fraser, Akins, Harness, Hutchinson, Wallace, Boyce
SUBS: Bywater, McFadzean, Sbarra, Templeton, Fox, McCrory, Miller
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, Man City have the rare capability of being able to name a second-string side and still field a fearsome team, and Burton Albion will certainly not feel as though they have got off lightly with this selection.
The likes of Aguero, Sterling and Fernandinho all miss out, but Guardiola is still able to name a team including De Bruyne, Sila and Sane, among other big names.
Tonight will be another important chance for
Kevin De Bruyne to get some minutes under his belt, having only recently returned from his latest problem during Sunday's FA Cup rout of Rotherham.
The Belgian came through 67 minutes unscathed in that match and start again tonight as Guardiola looks to edge him back up to full fitness for the Premier League. Man City may not have been quite as dominant as last season, but to think that they have still been without De Bruyne for much of the campaign is scary.
© Reuters
City are not exactly lacking in creative talent, though, and David Silva has continued his impeccably high standards throughout the campaign so far.
The Spaniard interestingly starts ahead of Foden tonight, despite the youngster scoring against Rotherham at the weekend, while Bernardo and Delph - the latter of whom is available again after suspension - join Foden on the bench. Gundogan will once again play in the middle as Fernandinho is given the night off entirely.
Eric Garcia once again starts at the heart of the defence for City - as he did in the previous round against Leicester, and indeed it is an unchanged back four from that match at the King Power Stadium.
Kyle Walker and Oleksandr Zinchenko retain their places in the wide defensive areas - both from the shootout win over Leicester and Sunday's 7-0 drubbing of Rotherham - while Otamendi has largely had to wait for these cup competitions to feature this season.
Muric gets the nod behind them having already featured in the EFL Cup this season, with Ederson dropping out of the side and Bravo still sidelined with a calf injury.
Further forward Jesus will be hoping for a better day in front of goal than he suffered on Sunday - despite scoring in that match - while both Sane and Mahrez were also on the scoresheet as City put Rotherham to the sword.
© Reuters
The Burton players would be forgiven for fearing a similar scoreline tonight, but
Nigel Clough has instilled a true underdog mentality into this team and while they might be outclassed tonight, they are unlikely to be outfought.
The good news for the visitors is that John Brayford returns from injury for today's match, having missed the win over Rochdale at the weekend.
There is worse news when it comes to Stephen Quinn, who was forced off after only 12 minutes of the win over Rochdale and has not recovered in time for this match.
Fraser and Allen both came through that game with knocks but have managed to shake them off to feature tonight. In all, Clough has made three changes, while Fox and Templeton dropping to the bench and Boyce and Wallace replacing them.
Liam Boyce returned from injury at the weekend and was immediately back amongst the goals against Rochdale, earning himself a start for tonight's match.
It was Marcus Harness who stole all the headlines last time out for Burton, though, as he hit a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory for Clough's side - a rare big win for Burton.
Not quite as star-studded as their hosts, then, even with Man City naming a largely second-string side. There is no doubt that the semi-final draw has been kind to the holders by pulling out Burton instead of Tottenham or Chelsea, but one of the Premier League big-hitters were guaranteed to get the surprise packages.
You do have to fear for the Brewers, though, as City are not the type of team to show mercy against any opponents - as they proved their with their 7-0 win over Rotherham at the weekend.
Rotherham are a Championship side too, whereas Burton are League One opposition - although Man City may be cautious having been knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of a third-tier team last season.
For that to happen over two legs would go down as one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, though, and for City all they need to do is avoid a huge amount of complacency and they should be into the final for a second successive year.
Never in the club's history have Man City managed to retain a trophy, so this is a really good opportunity to put that hoodoo to bed, even if Spurs or Chelsea will pose a much bigger test in the final.
The Citizens have a rich recent history in this competition too, winning it in three of the past five seasons and five times overall. This is their 11th semi-final, and they have made it through to the final in six of the previous 10.
© Reuters
The holders have not had a hugely difficult run through to the last four of this competition, although they have had to see off a couple of Premier League teams en route.
Their campaign began with a 3-0 triumph over Oxford before wins over Fulham and Leicester - the latter of which came via a penalty shootout after the 90 minutes ended 1-1. That run, coupled with their success in this competition last season, means that Man City are now unbeaten in their last nine League Cup outings.
City also beat lower-league opposition en route to the trophy last season, although Bristol City made things difficult for them before the 5-3 aggregate triumph.
Indeed, the Citizens have now progressed from their last 10 League Cup games against lower-league teams - including that win over Oxford this season - while their last match against a League One side saw them run out 7-1 winners over Barnsley in September 2004.
One small glimmer of hope for Burton is that City have 'only' won four of their last nine away games inside normal time in this competition, drawing three of those and losing two - although on each drawn occasion they went on to win the penalty shootout.
Guardiola's side have also only won one of their last four away games inside 90 minutes across all competitions, although that was their most recent one against Southampton.
Indeed, Man City now look to be back to the winning machine we came to know following a costly blip over Christmas, winning their last three games and scoring 12 goals in the process.
That run includes a crucial 2-1 triumph over Liverpool here at the Etihad Stadium less than a week ago - a result which saw them close the gap at the top of the table to four points and haul themselves back into the title race.
© Reuters
The Etihad was buzzing that night, but we can expect a much calmer atmosphere this evening with the home fans expectant and, in truth, Burton fans and players probably just happy to be there.
The Brewers have done brilliant to make it this far - the first time they have ever reached the semi-finals of a major cup competition - but they will be under no illusions that most people are expecting them to get emphatically beaten over the two legs.
The beauty of these cup competitions is that shocks can happen, though, and Burton will arrive with all of the good underdog spirit which can sometimes prevail.
The visitors have nothing to lose tonight, and if they can stay within one goal ahead of the second leg at the Pirelli Stadium later this month then that would have to be regarded as a superb achievement - not to mention keeping Burton in the tie.
Burton are the first League One side to have reached this stage of the competition since Sheffield United in 2014-15, when the Blades were coincidentally managed by current Burton boss
Nigel Clough.
Indeed, while this is a completely new experience for Burton as a club, this is actually the third time that Clough has managed in an EFL Cup semi-final, having also done so at Derby County in 2008-09.
© Reuters
The Brewers currently sit ninth in League One, but even that is a little flattering to them considering they are closer points-wise to the relegation zone (8) then they are to the playoff places (10).
Burton do at least come into the game in improved form, though, having gone unbeaten in their last four outings since Christmas - including a 4-0 thrashing of Rochdale away from home on Saturday.
Marcus Harness scored a hat-trick in that match and will hope for another sniff of goal tonight as Burton go in search of a monumental upset which would see them win back-to-back games for the first time since November 3.
Everything points against a Burton win, draw or even narrow defeat this evening, but Clough's side have made a habit of upsetting the odds in this season's competition and at the very least will hope to remain in the tie ahead of the return leg at home.
Burton have won all five of their EFL Cup games inside normal time so far this season, and the last four of those have come against teams from a higher division. Only three teams - Swindon in 1968-69, Chester in 1974-75 and Bristol City in 2012-13 have eliminated five teams from higher divisions in a single EFL Cup campaign.
Their run so far includes a Premier League scalp already too, beating Burnley 2-1 before victories over Championship duo Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. Shrewsbury and Aston villa were also seen off before that triumph over Burnley.
Burton have now won seven of their last eight EFL Cup games and six of their last seven on the road too, although the exception on both counts did come in this very city as Manchester United ran out 4-1 winners in last season's third round.
Across all competitions Burton are bidding to win back-to-back away games for the first time since New Year's Day 2018, and they have kept clean sheets in three of their last four on the road.
PREDICTION! Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Etihad, which means that it is time for a prediction!
I cannot see anything other than a convincing home win in this match, unfortunately. We all love an upset and it is what the magic of the cup is all about, but this will surely be a step too far for Burton, particularly over two legs.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Man City 5-0 Burton
At this stage we usually run through the head-to-head history of the two sides, but this is the first time that these have ever played each other in a competitive game.
Burton have had some experience against Manchester United - famously holding them to a goalless draw in the FA Cup in 2006 - but they have never faced Man City before.
Here is what the two managers had to say in the build-up to this game...
PEP GUARDIOLA: "Winning is important, we cannot deny it. We are in the semi-finals, one step closer to going back to Wembley.
"The Carabao Cup is a more local competition. Everybody is happy to win but no one is sad to go out but we are here and we are going to try."
NIGEL CLOUGH: "We are going to enjoy the experience. Nobody gives us much of a chance and quite rightly so.
"But it's great for our supporters. Some have followed the club for 40, 50, 60 years or more and never dreamt of being in a League Cup semi-final, so let's enjoy it.
"Every game you have a chance but it's just about what degree that chance is. Ours is extremely slim but there is always a chance in football. We won't go into detail about their players as that will frighten the life out of our lads. They know how good they are as they watch Match of the Day each week."
Almost time for kickoff at the Etihad! Let's have a reminder of the team news...
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Muric; Walker, Otamendi, Garcia, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sane
BURTON ALBION STARTING XI: Collins; Brayford, Buxton, Allen, Turner, Fraser, Akins, Harness, Hutchinson, Wallace, Boyce
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Burton get us underway at the Etihad!
SAVE! Eight seconds in and Burton have a shot on target! Akins goes for goal from 20 yards and, while it is a comfortable one for Muric, it is a positive start for the visitors!
Ominous for Burton as this is far too easy. De Bruyne clips a pass over the defence and Mahrez is in behind, but he fails to bring it down when he would have been left one on one with the keeper.
SHOT! A Sane cross from the left is only cleared as far as Zinchenko, who fires a half-volley towards goal, but his effort flies off target.
GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 BURTON (KEVIN DE BRUYNE)
GOAL! It has not taken long, but already that had a feeling of inevitability about it! Silva swings a cross into the box and De Bruyne gets in front of his man to nod his finish into the bottom corner. Simple as you like.
This could be a long night for Burton. Man City are already in complete control and they look like scoring almost every time they come forward at the moment.
Collins has to be alert here as he comes off his line to sweep up a De Bruyne through ball which Sane was very close to getting on the end of.
Here is that opening goal from De Bruyne. Far too easy, but a lovely cross from Silva...
CHANCE! Huge chance for Burton to level things up! It comes out of nothing as the visitors make a rare break out, and Akins's low pass into the box goes all the way through to a completely unmarked Harness. He scored a hat-trick at the weekend, but he blazes this one well over when he really should have scored!
SHOT! Sane gets forward down the left channel and leaves Harness for dead with a dummy while cutting inside, but he is then a little too selfish and can only pick out the side-netting with his shot.
It has been a little better from Burton in the last few minutes. They will expect to spend most of their time defending, but they have just begun to see a bit more of the ball and are able to commit more players forward.
The visitors have so far done well to avoid any further damage, as after the opening goal it looked like a few more might follow in quick succession. They will be wary that City's second against Rotherham did not come until just before half time, though.
Gundogan dinks a ball over the defence and Mahrez volleys it past the keeper first time, but the offside flag is correctly raised and the whistle goes before the ball ends up in the back of the net.
SHOT! Burton come forward again and register another shot, although this one is a long way high and wide from Allen after he tried his luck from range.
SHOT! Gundogan goes for goal from range at the other end this time, but he also misses the target by a comfortable distance.
Slick moves from City as they put two crosses into the six-yard box in quick succession, but on both occasions there is a yellow shirt there to hack it clear.
We're midway through the first half now and Burton appear to have weathered the first real Man City storm - although I'm sure there will be more to come. The visitors would take this scoreline at full time, I'm sure!
CHANCE! Half a chance for Man City as
Gabriel Jesus cuts inside and tries to pass his finish into the bottom corner, but he puts it narrowly wide of the far post.
Burton Albion are by no means parking the bus tonight and looking to simply stay in the tie. The visitors are getting men forward whenever possible and there have been one or two occasions when they might have done better in the final third.
Burton are approaching the half-hour mark now and the deficit remains just one goal - a position many of their fans may have taken at this stage. Can they make it to half time?
GOAL! MAN CITY 2-0 BURTON (GABRIEL JESUS)
GOAL! No, they can't. Man City double their advantage on the half-hour mark as Jesus reacts quickest to nod home from close range.
Silva stabbed a clever pass through for Sane, who saw his initially effort well saved by the keeper. The ball bounced back up into the area, and Jesus reacted quickly to nod it past three defenders on the line.
That second goal should be enough to wrap up the win tonight, but Man City will still want a few more to put the whole tie to bed before their return journey to the Pirelli Stadium.
GOAL! MAN CITY 3-0 BURTON (GABRIEL JESUS)
GOAL! City add a third and things are looking worrying for Burton now! Gundogan chips a pass over the defence for Silva, who is left with a simple pass across the face of goal for Jesus. The Brazilian takes his time, taking a touch before stroking his finish in off the inside of the post. Easy as you like.
© Reuters
Mike Dean just needed to consult VAR before that goal was officially awarded as there was a question about offside against Silva. It was a close one, but the Spaniard was just about on and the goal stands.
GOAL! MAN CITY 4-0 BURTON (OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO)
GOAL! Well, when you're facing a rout you can do with things like this not going against you!
The ball is played back to Zinchenko and it looks as though he is trying to swing a cross into the box, but instead he lobs the keeper and sends it into the top corner! If he meant that then it is a great goal, but his lack of celebration suggests he didn't.
© Reuters
SAVE! Burton still try to come forward whenever they can and Fraser draws a low save from Muric at the near post having found space to shoot with the angle against him.
SAVE! Good reaction save from Collins as Hutchinson makes a mess of clearing De Bruyne's pass into the box. The ball pops up to Mahrez, who improvises well to flick it goalwards, but Collins turns it over the crossbar.
To think Burton were just 1-0 down a minute before the half-hour mark. Three goals in less than 10 minutes have taken the tie away from Burton completely.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
I doubt that they are finished tonight yet either...
HALF TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 4-0 BURTON ALBION
That looks like game over and tie over after just 45 of the 180 minutes these two sides will play, with Man City going into half time with a 4-0 lead over Burton Albion.
The visitors have tried to give it a go and missed one particularly good chance, but they have simply been outclassed by City and this could end up being double figures if City don't show any mercy.
It took just five minutes for the opening goal to arrive as Kevin De Bruyne scored a rare headed effort, nodded in Silva's pinpoint cross after getting in front of his man.
It was far too easy, although Burton would have been content with just a one-game deficit approaching the half-hour mark before City really put the game to bed.
Jesus scored the first two of City's three-goal flurry in the space of just seven minutes, the first of which saw him react quickest to nod home from close range after Sane had been denied.
The Brazilian doubled his personal tally when he stroked home a finish after being teed up by Silva's square pass, and Zinchenko quickly added a fourth with a mis-hit cross which sailed over the keeper and into the top corner.
It is damage limitation for Burton now, but they may be powerless to prevent more goals arriving for City.
The hosts scored seven here at the weekend and look to be on course for at least that many again tonight unless something drastic changes in the second half.
KICKOFF: Man City get us back underway at the Etihad!
The match has immediately fallen into a familiar rhythm here. Man City show no signs of letting up against this Burton side.
City have tried the chipped ball into the box on a few occasions tonight and they have got joy out of it, but this time Gundogan is not on the same page as his teammates and he puts the ball straight out of play.
SHOT! Burton have had a few sights of goal tonight! Akins drives forward before playing the ball square for Fraser, who takes a touch and tries to curl his finish into the top corner. His effort flies narrowly over, though.
Burton are still not hanging back despite their four-goal deficit. It is great to see them still getting forward whenever possible.
I haven't heard many teams given the 'Ole!' treatment at 4-0 down, but the Burton fans are treating their players to it now! They are determined to enjoy themselves tonight, despite the scoreline.
GOAL! MAN CITY 5-0 BURTON (GABRIEL JESUS, HAT-TRICK)
GOAL! Jesus completes his hat-trick, and you could almost see this goal coming a mile off. A long spell of possession ends with Mahrez exchanging passes with Silva on his way into the box before lifting a cross into the middle, where Jesus rises highest to plant his header past the keeper.
MAN CITY SUB: Guardiola makes a change in the wake of that goal as
Phil Foden replaces De Bruyne.
GOAL! MAN CITY 6-0 BURTON (PHIL FODEN)
GOAL! Man City make it six, and it is a second goal in four days for Foden - although this one is almost as scrappy as his first in the FA Cup game.
Gundogan slides a lovely pass through for Jesus who really should add his fourth, but he fires his effort straight at the keeper. The ball drops to Foden, though, and he sweeps it into an empty net.
CHANCE! It should be seven, and it is Silva of all people who misses a sitter! This time Sane is the man in behind down the left channel before playing a low pass back to the Spaniard, who spoons his finish over the crossbar when he looked certain to score!
GOAL! MAN CITY 7-0 BURTON (GABRIEL JESUS)
GOAL! Man City have seven, Jesus has four and Burton are powerless to resist it right now.
Mahrez floats a pass over the defence for Sane, who chests it down before firing a low cross into the box which Jesus gets a touch to, flicking it home from close range.
MAN CITY SUB: Change for the hosts as Bernardo Silva replaces Sane.
BURTON SUBS: Double change for Burton here as Boyce and Allen are replaced by Ben Fox and David Templeton.
GOAL! MAN CITY 8-0 BURTON (KYLE WALKER)
GOAL! City are just running riot now - this could be whatever they want to to be. Silva slides the ball to Mahrez down the left and Walker finds himself on the end of the cross inside the box. He does well to steer his finish in, adding an eighth for his side.
MAN CITY SUB: Another change for the hosts as Danilo replaces Walker.
Just under 15 minutes left of this for Burton to endure now - although judging by City's flurries tonight that is still enough time for four or five more. Will we see double figures?
OFF THE POST! Almost number nine for City as Silva works space to shoot inside the area and sees his strike take a deflection on its way against the outside of the post.
BURTON SUB: Final change for the visitors as Joe Sbarra replaces Fraser.
CHANCE! Fine defending from Buxton as he throws himself in the way of Mahrez's effort when the winger looked certain to make it 9-0. Fair play to Burton, they have not let their spirit be broken here.
GOAL! MAN CITY 9-0 BURTON (RIYAD MAHREZ)
GOAL! Number nine does arrive as Mahrez gets in on the act! The winger initially misses his kick from Bernardo's low cross into the box, but he recovers and just pokes it into the bottom corner past Collins.
"We want 10!" chant the Man City fans. This is now level with
Pep Guardiola's biggest ever win as a manager.
CHANCE! Otamendi almost provides the 10th as he climbs highest in the box before planting his header towards goal, but this time the keeper collects.
Just one minute left of normal time for these Burton players to withstand now. Will Mike Dean be merciful with the stoppage time?
There will be two minutes of added time as City go in search of a 10th!
FULL TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 9-0 BURTON ALBION
Well, it's what Burton would have feared and sure enough Man City showed no mercy. The Premier League champions hit nine - yes NINE - past their League One opponents at the Etihad, and I think we can safely assume that they will be playing either Chelsea or Tottenham in the final.
De Bruyne got the ball rolling after just five minutes before a spell of seven goals in 40 minutes, including four from Gabriel Jesus and one apiece from Zinchenko, Foden and Walker. Mahrez then capped off the scoring late on, although they fell just short of fulfilling the crowd's calls for double figures.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Man City run riot against Burton, hitting nine goals past them in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
