James Milner says Manchester City are taking the Capital One Cup as seriously as ever this season ahead of the fourth-round clash with Newcastle United.

City hold the trophy after beating Sunderland in last season’s final in March and continue their defence when Newcastle visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are looking to bounce back from Saturday’s
2-1 defeat at West Ham United in the Premier League and Milner admits they are approaching fixtures on a game-by-game basis.

“We just take it one game at a time, concentrate on whatever is in front of us and try and win it,” he told the club’s official website.

However the England midfielder confirmed City are taking the tournament very seriously again this season and have high hopes of reaching the final and retaining the trophy.

“At this stage of the season it’s all about trying to get into a good position in all the competitions that we’re in so by the time March comes around, you are in the latter stages of everything or maybe even the final,” he added.

“We are the Capital One Cup holders and although some say some cups are more important than others, a lot of people have never won the League Cup and would love to have the chance.

“I think everyone can see how seriously we take it by the teams we’ve put out in the past few years and nothing will change this year.”

Manchester City are priced at 4.15 to win the Capital One Cup this season and are 1.29 to beat Newcastle, with the Magpies valued at 8.27.