Prediction: Liverpool vs Newcastle

Verdict: Liverpool win

Best odds: 5/8

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

On Sunday at Wembley, Newcastle will give their all to try and snatch the Carabao Cup trophy away from Liverpool, the current holders, as the two sides face off in the final of the competition.

It will be a clash between the club that won this cup last season on top of doing a cup double in 2022, that has won both the Champions League and the Premier League in the last six years, and a club that hasn’t earned any silverware for a very long time, but has now come close again after reaching the the final in 2023.

Liverpool

Once Manchester City’s hallmark competition, the EFL Cup (A.K.A Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons) has since become Liverpool’s domain, as they aim to defend the title they secured last year – having also broken Chelsea’s hearts in the 2021/22 final.

Already holding the record for most League Cup triumphs with 10, the Reds’ eight FA Cup victories put them on the brink of a 19th domestic cup success in English football, which would bring them level with arch-rivals Manchester United for the all-time record.

Liverpool have stormed past West Ham, Brighton, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur en route to Wembley, where a win would likely secure 50% of a domestic double, given their commanding 15-point lead over Arsenal at the Premier League summit.

However, Slot’s side will not be adding a seventh Champions League title this season, having suffered a dramatic but ultimately deserved last-16 exit to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, as Gianluigi Donnarumma replicated his Euro 2020 shootout heroics on English soil.

Wembley erupted in celebration for the Azzurri that year, and Liverpool have every reason to believe they will be the ones lifting silverware on Sunday – each of the last four times the reigning EFL Cup holders reached the final the following season, they have gone on to win it.

Team News

Liverpool fans’ worst fears were confirmed on Friday morning when Arne Slot admitted that Trent Alexander-Arnold would be unavailable for the final due to the injury he sustained against PSG in the Champions League.

With Alexander-Arnold sidelined and both Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley nursing hamstring injuries, Slot finds himself without a single senior right-back for the trip to Wembley. Jarell Quansah is expected to step in, though the Dutchman also mentioned midfielder Curtis Jones as a potential wildcard option during his press conference.

On a more positive note, Slot anticipates Ibrahima Konate, who was also forced off in midweek, to be fit for Sunday’s clash. Otherwise, he may have no choice but to deploy Wataru Endo alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence.

Meanwhile, Tyler Morton (shoulder) remains unavailable, though the young midfielder was unlikely to feature in the starting lineup.

Newcastle

No team across the British Isles should be more determined to break that pattern than Newcastle, who continue to look back on the glory of their 1955 FA Cup final triumph—the last time they lifted a major trophy.

Under Eddie Howe’s leadership, they came agonizingly close to ending that long wait in the 2022-23 season, only to be outclassed by Manchester United in the capital. That painful defeat extended their losing streak in domestic cup finals to five.

In fact, only Chelsea have suffered more consecutive defeats in EFL Cup and FA Cup finals, with six losses since 2019. With their chaotic FA Cup exit to Brighton & Hove Albion two weeks ago, Sunday’s showdown represents Newcastle’s only chance at silverware this season.

The Magpies have since steadied themselves with a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League victory over West Ham United on Monday, securing a clean sheet for the first time in five games after conceding at least twice in each of their previous five outings.

However, one of those defensive lapses occurred just weeks ago in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield, extending their winless run against the reigning EFL Cup champions to 17 matches—an ominous sign ahead of their bid to finally reclaim a long-overdue moment of glory.

Team News

Alexander-Arnold is not the only high-profile English full-back who will be forced to watch from the sidelines on Sunday, as Newcastle’s Lewis Hall has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a foot injury. He joins Sven Botman (knee) and Jamaal Lascelles (knee) in the Magpies’ growing injury list ahead of the Wembley showdown.

Additionally, Anthony Gordon’s reckless moment in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton has resulted in a suspension, meaning the former Everton winger will be unavailable. However, his replacement, Harvey Barnes, made an impact last time out by setting up Bruno Guimaraes’s winner against West Ham.

Barnes and Jacob Murphy are expected to provide support on either flank for Alexander Isak, who boasts four goal contributions in five previous appearances against Liverpool. Meanwhile, Dan Burn is set to feature in defence, fresh off receiving his first-ever senior England call-up.

Conclusion

Newcastle’s pacey forward line will have been taking notes watching their PSG counterparts in the Champions League round of 16, and though they may not be quite at that level, they’ve proven that they too have what it takes to trouble Liverpool’s defence.

On the other hand, Liverpool have a very potent attacking section as well, one which misfired against the Ligue 1 champions on Wednesday and will be eager to put that disappointment behind them. Newcastle’s shaky defence will have a hard time stopping them, which, coupled with Liverpool’s experience in winning silverware in recent years, should give Slot’s team a slight edge.

Verdict: Liverpool win

Best odds: 5/8

Bookmaker: Olympusbet