by 
07:17
Southampton announce a new signing in January
Jason Burt, St Mary’s Head Football Correspondent
An hour before kick-off, Southampton announced the signing of midfielder Carlos Alcaraz from Racing Club in Argentina.. Alcaraz, 20, signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with St Mary’s, becoming the second signing after the arrival of Croatian international winger Mislav Oršić last week.
Alcaraz made his debut for Racing Club in January 2020 at the age of 17 and made 83 appearances. Known as ‘Charly’, Alcaraz was a key part of the team that finished last year’s Primera División second only two points behind Boca Juniors.
Southampton manager Nathan Jones said: “Charly’s arrival is another important addition for us. There’s a lot of interest in Europe, so it’s great to get it and have it done earlier in the month.”
07:09
A sign of Guardiola’s Manchester derby intentions
Haaland, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and the Stones were tapped once more after Guardiola spoke about managing the midfielders’ minutes.
Kyle Walker seems to be playing as a centre-back. Is it because of injuries or is it a dress rehearsal of a “ridiculous” plan to deal with United’s brisk attack?
07:06 PM
Team news: De Bruyne and Haaland take the rest
04:35
Manchester City are the team to beat in this competition but the schedule could be brutal
Manchester City’s dominance in the Carabao Cup ended with a surprise penalty shootout loss at West Ham last year, but once again the strong favorites look to earn their first big honor of the season.
City won four consecutive Carabao Cups between 2018 and 2021, and also lifted the Premier League title in three of those seasons. Tonight’s victory could set a two-legged semi-final against Manchester United in a month’s time as they face their city rivals in the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur. Oh, and an FA Cup draw against championship rivals Arsenal.
The schedule may be a handicap for City in the league, but they have scope for rotation. Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland are rested as they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup, but they can move on tonight to prepare them for Saturday’s Manchester derby. The same goes for Ederson and John Stones, England defender risking his life.
Despite a 2-1 turn at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup over the weekend, Southampton’s horizon is more bleak. The away team told new coach Nathan Jones that ‘his football is s—‘ and they are at the bottom of the league. Tonight’s draw is way off their priority list, but they’ll want to avoid taking a confidence-shattering beating in front of their own fans.
Jones was wary of Mislav Orsic making his debut this evening in January: “This is a daily thing we have to evaluate. Frankly, he hasn’t played much football since scoring the winning goal in the World Cup third/fourth playoffs, so we’ll have to evaluate that.”
More may be on the way, as Telegraph Sport first reported Southampton’s interest in 20-year-old Argentine midfielder Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz.
Full team news coming soon.
