Manchester City's Carabao Cup campaign begins on Thursday with a familiar face in the middle — but not one City fans will have seen at the Etihad before. Ruebyn Ricardo will take charge of the third-round tie against Norwich City, his first senior City fixture.
A first for Ricardo
Ricardo's career has been built largely in the EFL, where he oversaw 20 Championship matches last season. His only previous involvement with City came in August 2023, when he refereed the Under-21s' 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. Since then, his appointments have included Championship and Carabao Cup games, plus a role as fourth official in the Premier League. Thursday will be his sixth match of the season and his third in this competition, having already taken charge of Birmingham City's 1-0 win at Swansea and West Ham's 4-1 victory at Southampton.
He will be assisted by James Mainwaring and Richard Woodward, with Michael Salisbury as fourth official. There will be no VAR, as the technology is not used at this stage of the Carabao Cup.
City's quick turnaround
The tie comes four days after City's 1-0 win at Old Trafford, a match in which they played for more than an hour with ten men following Phil Foden's first-half red card. Foden will be suspended for the Norwich game, and Enzo Maresca is expected to make changes as his side negotiate another quick turnaround.
City lifted the Carabao Cup four seasons in succession between 2018 and 2021 — a run that feels a long time ago now. Maresca's first season is barely underway, but this competition offers an early chance at silverware.