Carabao Cup action returns for the Round of 16 fixtures as the top Premier League sides clash with some of their top flight counterparts for a place in the top eight.
The biggest clash of this round is surely Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, while their North London rivals Arsenal travel to Preston on Wednesday night. Another heavyweight clash is Newcastle vs. Chelsea for the second time in four days, as the Magpies will try to have a positive result this time around.
Liverpool will also face a stern test away at Brighton, but all eyes will surely be on the red half of Manchester as United take on Leicester City at Old Trafford with no Erik ten Hag in the dugout for the first time in two years.
Without much ado, let’s look at the top four youngsters who could light up these fixtures and make an impact for the Premier League giants as they try to get some first-team playing time this season.
Top Four Youngsters Who Could Shine in Round of 16
Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
With two goals in the space of a mere twelve minutes in Arsenal’s Round of 32 clash against Bolton, Ethan Nwaneri will surely get the nod from Mikel Arteta against Preston North End on Wednesday. The 17-year-old midfielder, who prefers to play in a rather attacking position than his usual central role, had two shots on target against the Wanderers and scored on each occasion.
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He rounded off one of the best performances of this round of the EFL Cup with a 93% passing success rate, creating two key chances for his teammates. Having played just 23 minutes this season in the Premier League, Nwaneri has the opportunity to push Arteta for some serious game time in the latter half of the English top flight this year.
Kaden Braithwaite (Manchester City)
16-year-old Kaden Braithwaite put up a solid performance for Manchester City in their previous round game against Watford as Pep Guardiola narrowly edged past the Hornets in a 2-1 win at home. The centre-back completed 62 of his 65 passes attempted, with 17 passes into the final third. This figure was pretty high for a teenager playing in front of 41,000-odd people.
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Braithwaite also won three of his four ground duels contested and put no foot wrong in defence, winning both of his two tackles attempted at the Etihad. The City Academy graduate has not appeared for the Champions in the Premier League yet but surely looks like one of the best prospects in the City side which is rapidly ageing on all fronts.
Cesare Casadei (Chelsea)
A casualty of the Chelsea spending spree in the last three transfer windows, Cesare Casadei is a talent waiting to explode in European football. One of Italian football’s best youth prospects, Casadei is slowly gaining the trust of new boss Enzo Maresca, despite just minor playing minutes in Cup ties. Despite being 21 and a bit older than the other names on this list, he can slot in the first team if the blue half of London faces any midfield injury crisis later in the season.
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Casadei recently saved his nation’s blushes as he scored the Italy U21 side’s only goal in the 1-1 draw against Irish opponents. The central midfielder can be very important for the Blues in aerial battles in the future. He contested six aerial duals against Barrow in the previous round and won five of them comfortably which was the highest tally among either team’s personnel.
Carlos Baleba (Brighton & Hove Albion)
The new youth talent factory of England, Brighton might just have hit another jackpot in the form of midfielder Carlos Baleba. The 20-year-old midfielder has started seven of the eight Premier League fixtures for his side and has one goal and one assist to his record too. Both the goal and assist came against a notable opponent like Chelsea in a 4-2 win at the American Express Stadium.
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Talking about the Cameroonian International’s defensive abilities in the middle of the park, Baleba has 14 interceptions and 7 blocks in the 574 minutes played – which puts him among the top 5% of all the Premier League players in these very attributes. With the seagulls facing a season-defining elimination tie against Liverpool on Wednesday, the midfielder will undoubtedly be one of the key players for his side.
