By Mark Strickland
Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from Champions League elimination when they face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
PSG won 4-1 on penalties after Ousmane Dembele had scored the only goal before the shootout to cancel out the Reds’ hard-earned 1-0 first-leg lead.
Speaking on The Redmen TV Deep Dive special – recorded before Liverpool vs PSG – Jamie Carragher thought the Reds would be a tough opponent for Newcastle.
He said: “It will be a massive game. They know that, if they’re going to beat Liverpool, they’ll have to be at their absolute best.”
It is 70 years since Newcastle last won a major domestic trophy and they lost the Carabao Cup final 2-0 to Manchester two years ago.
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Nick Pope was dismissed for handball in their 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool which meant Loris Karius started – some redemption arc, that could have been.
And this time, they are without star player Anthony Gordon after he saw red in their 2-1 FA Cup fifth-round defeat at home to Fulham.
Carragher said: “I think Anthony Gordon being out is a bigger problem for Newcastle in that I still back van Dijk to look after Isak.
“I think Trent Alexander-Arnold against Anthony Gordon could have gone either way. That helps us more. He has given Trent a couple of difficult moments.”
On August 27, 2023, Alexander-Arnold allowed a pass from team-mate Mohamed Salah to run under his left foot and Gordon ran through, side-footing past Alisson.
JAMIE CARRAGHER EXCLUSIVE | Liverpool v Newcastle Carabao Cup Final Tactical Preview | The Deep Dive
Liverpool won the Carabao Cup against Chelsea on February 25, last year thanks to a header from Virgil van Dijk and Carragher likes the competition.
He added: “I love the Carabao Cup. I think it’s a better competition than the FA Cup. It’s midweek. They’re night games. Everything’s finished on the night.
“The competition is a standalone cup final in early March. The FA Cup is fighting with the Premier League and the Champions League final is only around the corner.”
Carragher’s prediction: 3-1 Liverpool
My prediction: 2-0 Liverpool
