Manchester United meet Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium this weekend to compete for the season's first piece of silverware.
Both teams beat Premier League opposition in the two-legged semi-finals to reach this stage, with United cruising past newly-promoted Nottingham Forest while Newcastle overcame relegation-threatened Southampton. The North East club can be considered to have endured the more difficult route to the final after also eliminating top-flight teams Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Leicester City, as well as entering one round earlier due to not competing in any UEFA competitions.
United manager Erik ten Hag had a tough first test in the competition against Unai Emery's Aston Villa just four days after being beaten by the same team in the Premier League, but after winning that tie 4-2, Championship league-leaders Burnley and League One outfit Charlton Athletic were dispatched without conceding a single goal to face Forest in the final four.
