Liverpool face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final this Sunday and Arne Slot could be without some important players at Wembley. The Reds are looking to retain the final trophy won by Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside against a team without a major domestic trophy in 70 years. Newcastle have lost five FA Cup and League Cup finals since their 1955 triumph, including the final of this tournament to Liverpool in 1974.
Slot’s side were dumped out of the Champions League in midweek, losing on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield. Express Sport looks at the players Liverpool could be without in London when they take on the Magpies…
Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool remain hopeful Konate – the first-choice centre-back partner to captain Virgil van Dijk – will be fit to play. But there remains a chance he could miss out after being brought off during extra-time against PSG.
Slot said on Wednesday: “With Ibou, we expected only it to be that he was tired or he had some cramps so we are hoping and expecting that he will be ready to play Sunday again.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold
A certain absentee under the iconic Wembley arch, right-back Alexander-Arnold was forced off in the second half with an ankle injury. It took him several minutes to limp his way around the side of the pitch and down the tunnel.
Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract in the summer, is hopeful of playing again this season for Liverpool. But he will play no part in this final, having also missed last year’s final win over Chelsea.
Conor Bradley
Centre-back Jarell Quansah is likely to stand in at right-back against Newcastle because Alexander-Arnold’s back-up Bradley has been out for a month. The 21-year-old suffered a muscle injury away at Aston Villa.
Bradley has been left out of the Northern Ireland squad for the upcoming international break and therefore will not play for Liverpool again until at least April 2.
Joe Gomez
The versatile Gomez suffered a serious hamstring injury last month which required surgery and may not be seen again this season. The 27-year-old has played less than 1,000 minutes under Slot after being a key man under Klopp last year, with over 3,000 minutes amassed.
Ninety-two of those came in the League Cup final against Chelsea in which he replaced Ryan Gravenberch midway through the first half.
Tyler Morton
Technical midfielder Morton has only played 351 minutes this season under Slot but that has largely been due to injuries. The 22-year-old academy graduate would have been unlikely to make the squad on this occasion if fit anyway.
But he nonetheless is a highly-rated homegrown player who Liverpool hope to fetch £20million for if they sell him in the summer. Certainly he will be eager for more game time after a successful Championship stint on loan at Hull City last term.