EFL Cup final specials & card betting tips: Magpies midfielders set for contrasting roles

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bets

Bruno Guimaraes to be named man of the match
1pt 14-1 bet365

Joelinton to be shown a card
1pt 13-5 bet365

Betting offers

• Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers and all you need is an account. Sign up here
• Sky Bet are offering new customers multiple free bets when they sign up. Click here for free bets, money-back specials and BuildABet free bets
• Betfair have lots of offers and money back offers. Sign up for a new account here
• To get free bets from Ladbrokes today, simply sign up to a new account here
• Don't have a Coral account? They have an offer for new customers here
• New William Hill customers can claim free bets and benefit from their daily offers including Scratch Of The Day by clicking here

EFL Cup final specials preview

Newcastle have endured a fruitless February, failing to win three matches, in the absence of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. But the Brazilian returns from suspension for the EFL Cup final against Manchester United and he looks a strong candidate to be named man of the match.

Guimaraes is held in high regard by the Newcastle fans and rightly so because he is the man who makes the team tick.

The Brazilian likes to get on the ball and take responsibility and he gets plenty of stick from opposition players.

Going into this weekend he was the joint-sixth most fouled player in the Premier League with 42 fouls received from 17 appearances, and his quality is sure to attract the attention of United holding midfielders Fred and Casemiro, who are not afraid to put their foot in.

Guimaraes was guilty of overstepping the mark when red-carded towards the end of Newcastle's semi-final against Southampton, but he has the skills to shine for the right reasons at Wembley and could be the star of the show.

While Guimaraes will be largely focused on using his creative talents, fellow midfielders Joelinton and Sean Longstaff are likely to be tasked with more defensive chores.

The pair have a key role to play in cutting out the supply lines to Jadon Sancho, Antony and Marcus Rashford and they could soon test the patience of referee David Coote, who takes charge of a major final for the first time in his career.

Joelinton was recruited as a striker when Newcastle signed him from Hoffenheim for a then club record £40million in 2019 but he has been converted into an effective combative midfielder by Eddie Howe and has been a key player in the Magpies' impressive season.

However, the 26-year-old has racked up nine yellow cards in 21 Premier League appearances this term and looks a likely candidate to enter Coote's notebook.

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport