The inaugural piece of domestic silverware is up for grabs at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon, as Manchester United and Newcastle United lock horns with the chance to end their respective silverware-less streaks.
The Red Devils thumped Nottingham Forest 5-0 on aggregate to book their tickets to the showpiece event, while Eddie Howe's rising stars defeated Southampton 3-1 over two legs in the semi-finals.
Match preview
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Erik ten Hag still has a long and arduous journey ahead of him to restore Man United to their former glories, but beating Barcelona and winning a trophy within the space of a few days would be a monumental step in the right direction for the much-admired Dutchman.
Seeing off Aston Villa, Burnley, Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest to make it to their first domestic cup final since the 2017-18 FA Cup, the Red Devils have managed to avoid the upper echelon of English teams to progress to Wembley, but they have gone about their business with professionalism nonetheless.
Scoring at least two goals in all of their EFL Cup games so far and keeping clean sheets in each of their last four, a quadruple offering of trophies is still a distinct possibility for Man United, who advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday night courtesy of a 2-1 win over Barcelona - Antony and Fred completing the comeback from Robert Lewandowski's spot kick to give the Red Devils a 4-3 aggregate win.
While also seeking success in the FA Cup and threatening to upset the Arsenal and Manchester City apple cart in the Premier League, Man United travel to Wembley having strung together a nine-game unbeaten streak in all tournaments, and they have scored at least twice in each of their last 10.
The Red Devils will be stepping out onto the Wembley turf for their 10th EFL Cup final on Sunday - five of their previous nine have ended with the Manchester powerhouses lifting the trophy aloft - and whatever transpires over the course of 90 or 120 minutes this weekend, Ten Hag will already make history as the first-ever Dutch manager to take charge in an EFL Cup final.
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Ironically, the only time that a Dutch manager has failed to win an English cup final was when Ruud Gullit oversaw Newcastle's 2-0 defeat to Man United in the 1998-99 FA Cup final, but the odds are already weighing in Ten Hag's favour to avoid the same fate here.
Going about their transfer business with due diligence since their lucrative takeover to stay in line with Financial Fair Play regulations, Newcastle's market activity has no doubt influenced their meteoric rise from the doldrums, but the laudable work of Howe has not gone unnoticed.
It has not been pretty by any stretch, but seeing off Tranmere Rovers, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Southampton has allowed Newcastle to book a trip to Wembley for the first time in 24 years, and the Magpies are out to clinch EFL Cup glory for the first time in their illustrious history.
However, Howe's team have hit a rough patch of Premier League form at the most inopportune moment - failing to win each of their last four in the division and suffering just a second top-flight loss of the season to Liverpool last time out - but the 10-man Magpies still threatened to expose the Reds' defensive frailties and then some.
An eight-game losing streak at Wembley has also befallen the Magpies since their 1955 FA Cup triumph - their most recent domestic cup success - and Man United's 2-0 win over Newcastle in the 1999 FA Cup final formed part of their historic treble that year. Victory on Sunday could very well spark a similar haul of success for the coming months, but Newcastle have more than earned their right to compete at Wembley as Howe aims to become the first English coach to win the cup since 2003-04, when now-Man United assistant Steve McClaren took Middlesbrough all the way.
Team News
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Hearts were in mouths on Friday morning when Marcus Rashford hinted at a possible injury concern on social media after limping out of the clash with Barcelona, but he will no doubt do everything in his power to be fit for the final.
The Red Devils are also guaranteed to be without long-term absentees Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek, while Anthony Martial is also unlikely to be back from a hip problem for the final.
However, Antony and Harry Maguire shook off their knocks to return for Thursday's game, and the former's telling impact off the bench means that he may have played his way into a start over Wout Weghorst, who was hooked at half time against Barcelona following another ineffective display - that is assuming Rashford's knock is not too serious, though.
Of course, Weghorst is one of the few players who can go toe-to-toe physically with Dan Burn, but his run of 11 consecutive starts may come to an end if Ten Hag decides that the reinvigorated Jadon Sancho has done enough to justify an appearance from the first whistle at Wembley
Meanwhile, the team news talk of the EFL Cup final has unsurprisingly been dominated by the Newcastle goalkeeper situation, with Nick Pope suspended after his red card against Liverpool and his backup - ex-Man United loanee Martin Dubravka - cup-tied, as is Anthony Gordon.
As a result, a fairytale ending could finally come the way of Loris Karius, who has not played for an English club since that night in Kyiv for the 2018 Champions League final. On a brighter note, Bruno Guimaraes has served his domestic suspension and can return to an injury-hit midfield.
ACL victim Emil Krafth will be the Magpies' only guaranteed injury absentee here, and Howe is hopeful that Joelinton and Joe Willock can shake off their thigh concerns to make themselves available - the former should win that fierce battle to start if both men are passed fit.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Karius; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin
We say: Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle United (a.e.t)
Newcastle are not the same defensive force that they were only a few weeks ago, and Man United will need no second invitation to test the gloves of the out-of-practice Karius, but the importance of Guimaraes's return to the base of midfield cannot be overstated.
A possible injury to Rashford and fatigue from Thursday night will also work against the Red Devils, who are not impenetrable at the back either and may be forced to endure a gruelling 120 minutes of action, but Newcastle's recent lack of attacking incisiveness could prove decisive as Man United take another step towards a dazzling quadruple.
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Ben Knapton
