'Unbelievable' - Pep Guardiola congratulates Newcastle United for Carabao Cup success

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has congratulated Newcastle United on reaching the Carabao Cup final.

Newcastle face Liverpool at Wembley in four weeks’ time but before that enter a potentially defining period of Premier League matches.

Eddie Howe’s side will go above Man City on Saturday evening if they claim their first victory at the Etihad Stadium since 2014. A week later, United then host third-place Nottingham Forest at St James’ Park, with the gap between the two clubs currently standing at six points.

Guardiola has described Newcastle as “unbelievably dangerous” and believes they are feeling the benefits of not being in Europe after reaching their second cup final in three years and putting together a run of 12 wins in 14 matches.

Pep Guardiola congratulates Newcastle United - and highlights midfield threat

The Spaniard also highlighted the threat Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali pose in midfield.

“They have always been [dangerous] since Eddie Howe took over,” Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference. “Good form, unbelievable speed so credit to them. They have a lot of threats and a lot of positive things.

“Bruno [Guimaraes] is one of them not just this season. For two or three seasons he’s playing at a high level since he arrived from France now he’s more advanced, [Sandro] Tonali makes more in the central role, but both can do it, the physicality, speed and long balls, set pieces.

“It’s an experienced and solid team already, of course congratulations for reaching the Carabao Cup final but playing one game a week, it can be unbelievably dangerous, without the Champions League.

“They qualified for it then had it, then didn’t qualify with a lot of injuries. They will be a top four or five contender until the end.”

Pep Guardiola on Alexander Isak

Guardiola also fielded a question on Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak with the pair - recognised as two of Europe’s best strikers - going head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium.

Isak has scored 54 goals in 95 appearances for Newcastle since joining for a club-record £63million from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022. Haaland joined Man City around the same time and has found the net 117 times in 132 games.

“[They’re] excellent,” Guardiola declared. “Erling hit the level in the first season and second season, the numbers were really good. But maybe was not in the consistency this season.

“Isak has improved season by season. I knew it a little bit because I follow the Spanish league and at Sociedad he already started to make an impact. He started to do it and he proved he can run and the finishing and he’s a fantastic player.”