Story by“No complaints” – Pep Guardiola confirms Manchester City star will start against Newcastle UnitedCity XtraTue, January 13, 2026 at 8:30 AM UTC·2 min readManchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that James Trafford will start in goal for the Blues in the opening leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie with Newcastle. The Blues travel to St. James’ Park to seek an early advantage in the penultimate stage of the competition, having secured their first win of 2026 in a 10-1 rout of Exeter City in the FA Cup at the weekend. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCity are yet to taste victory in the Premier League in the new calendar year after drawing in three successive meetings against Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton this month, with Arsenal extending their lead at the top of the table to six points. Guardiola has welcomed Antoine Semenyo to this attacking ranks in the January transfer window and the 26-year-old Ghanian scored and provided an assist on his Manchester City debut against Exeter on Saturday. City will likely shuffle their pack against Newcastle at St. James’ Park but Guardiola will be wary of making too many changes to his lineup against a formidable Newcastle United side who inflicted defeat on the Blues in their Premier League meeting in November 2025. Guardiola fielded a much stronger XI against Exeter than many would have expected, with Erling Haaland partnering Semenyo and Tijjani Reijnders in attack as the eight-time Premier League champions put the League One visitors to the sword. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPreviewing the opening leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final tie, Guardiola has confirmed that James Trafford will start in goal for Manchester City at St.
