Newcastle United fell at the final hurdle last season in the EFL Cup, losing 2-0 at Wembley to Manchester United but Eddie Howe's side have an inviting chance at redemption in the competition on Wednesday night as the Magpies travel to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag's Red Devils are struggling in all competitions this season, having lost seven out of a possible 15 games. Newcastle will certainly smell blood and sense an opportunity to pile further misery on their long-time foes.
Nonetheless, unlike the previous campaign, Howe's men are now battling on all fronts, having qualified for the UEFA Champions League, and with two massive games against Arsenal in the Premier League and Borussia Dortmund in Europe on the horizon, the Newcastle boss may be looking to rotate his team at the Theatre of Dreams.
One man Howe could look to bring into the starting lineup at Man United is summer signing Tino Livramento. The former Chelsea academy product has had limited game-time this season but could sparkle in front of the Stretford End.
The player who could replace Kieran Trippier
Kieran Trippier has been a fine addition to Newcastle United's squad ever since the England international joined from La Liga side Atletico Madrid for £12m back in January 2022. However, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur man is now 33 and has played 16 games in all competitions for club and country this season. Likewise, Dan Burn has made 13 appearances this term for the Magpies.
Howe may be looking to keep his preferred fullback duo fit ahead of some crucial fixtures coming up in the league and in Europe so Livramento could offer some much-needed rest for one of Trippier or Burn. The 20-year-old's primary position is at right-back but the Croydon-born youngster "can play on the left just as comfortably", providing flexibility for the coaching staff during games.
Livramento spent most of Southampton's 2022/23 relegation season on the sidelines with a knee injury that took him 400 days to recover from but the player is now back fully fit and can feature regularly for the club in the North East.
In Newcastle's last EFL Cup match, which ended in an impressive 1-0 win against European champions Manchester City, Livramento started at right-back in place of Trippier. This was his only start all season under Howe and has made three further appearances off the bench.
The ex-Southampton defender played the entire game, helping his side to a clean sheet versus "the strongest team on the planet", according to Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs De Ligt. Meanwhile, Matt Target completed the same feat on the opposite flank as Burn missed the fixture through illness.
After the game, writing for Chronicle Live, Newcastle United legend Malcolm Macdonald labelled Livramento as a "Rolls Royce of a player, so full of confidence and smooth ability" and even called for Howe to play both him and Trippier in the same team.
Livramento's stats this season
During that third-round clash in the Carabao Cup at the end of September, Livramento completed more tackles than any other Manchester City player with three, as per FotMob. Furthermore, the £40m signing from the Saints registered 18 ground duels, six ball recoveries, three interceptions, two clearances, and one last-man tackle on the night.
Livramento proved against City that he is no pushover defensively, but the right-footer's "top-class" attacking prowess – as per Jacek Kulig – has been likened in the past to ex-Wales star Gareth Bale by his former Southampton teammate Theo Walcott.
His contribution going forward was quite impressive as the attacking fullback completed 50% of his dribbles, played two successful passes into the final third, drew four fouls in total and ended the game with a 93% pass accuracy.
What stats can't show, though, is how well Livramento recovered mentally from such a lengthy injury spell, looking born again against Man City five weeks ago and what grander stage to showcase your talent once more than under the harrowing lights at Old Trafford.