The fact Liverpool are coming off the back of a gruelling Champions League tie, that ended in defeat, makes this one interesting. It'll be very tough for the Reds to be at their best, and if Newcastle can get it right, they have a huge chance.
However, Newcastle are missing important players themselves and they have a very poor head-to-head record against the Reds, failing to win any of their last 17 meetings. We do, then, fancy Liverpool to win a very tight encounter. Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle.
The first major trophy of the 2024-25 campaign is up for grabs at Wembley on Sunday as Liverpool take on Newcastle in the League Cup final.
Liverpool are coming into this game a wounded animal. The Reds took on PSG in the Champions League in midweek and after a gruelling second leg tie that lasted 120 minutes, they fell to a penalty shootout defeat. The performance from Liverpool was decent, but the result will have stung immensely, as they'll have felt hopeful about winning a 7th Champions League crown given how dominant they've been in the Premier League this season.
It will, then, take a lot for the team to mentally recover from Tuesday night's loss, but there will also be physical issues with the team after such a draining game. Not only did the match last 120 minutes, but it was played at a frightening intensity, and the Reds lost a couple of players to injury. Given all of that, it's hard to imagine the team will be at their best.
Still, Liverpool have very clearly been the best team in England this season and regardless of the issues that face them, they're expected to beat Newcastle this weekend to win what would be their 11th League Cup and second in a row.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are coming into this game with their own handicaps. The Magpies have lost star left-back Lewis Hall for the remainder of the season through a foot injury, while Anthony Gordon will miss the game through suspension after picking up a needless red card in the FA Cup a couple of weeks ago.
Newcastle reached the final of this competition two seasons ago and fell to a defeat to Manchester United. The club are desperate to win their first trophy under their new ownership to really kickstart the project, and they'll be disappointed to be coming into another final with big players missing, after Nick Pope missed the final last time out.
Also desperate for a first trophy will be manager Eddie Howe, who has yet to win a major trophy in his managerial career. Howe has had a very good career up until this point but he'll likely feel as though the lack of silverware to show for his exploits is somewhat of a monkey on his back. Many people hold the opinion that Howe is a stopgap manager and the Saudi-led ownership group have grander plans for the role that are more in line with their lofty ambitions, so it would be hugely gratifying for Howe to produce what would be the club's first major trophy since 1955.
The Magpies have the odds stacked against them here, but with Liverpool facing a number of issues of their own, it would be unwise to write the Geordies off.
This game will be televised live to all UK viewers on ITV1.
Liverpool Team News:
The Reds are set to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Connor Bradley, meaning Jarell Quansah is set to start at right-back.
Arne Slot is also sweating over the fitness of Ibrahima Konate, who came off in extra-time in midweek, so if he's deemed unfit, Liverpool could be tackling a defensive crisis.
Predicted lineup: Alisson; Quansah, Konate, Van Dijik, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Diaz.
Newcastle Team News:
As previously mentioned, the Magpies are set to be without Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, meaning Kieran Tripper and Harvey Barnes are both likely to start.
Sven Botman is also out for most of the remainder of the campaign, so Dan Burg and Fabian Schar will continue their partnership at the heart of the defence.
Predicted lineup: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
Liverpool:
Liverpool's form is strong on the whole, with the Reds having won four and lost one of their last five games. Last time out, Arne Slot's men were beaten 0-1 by PSG, a result that followed a 3-1 loss to Southampton, thanks to a brace from Mohamed Salah and a goal from Darwin Nunez, and a 1-0 win over PSG courtesy of a Harvey Elliott goal.
Before that, Liverpool were 2-0 winners over Newcastle thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, which followed a 2-0 win over Manchester City through goals from Salah and Szoboszlai.
Newcastle:
Newcastle are in mixed form themselves, with two wins and three losses from their last five. Their most recent result was a hard-fought 1-0 win away at West Ham, where a goal from Bruno Guimaraes sealed the win.
Prior to that, Newcastle lost 1-2 to Brighton in the FA Cup, a result that was preceded by a 2-0 loss to Newcastle, a 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest - thanks to goals from Lewis Miley, Josh Murphy and Alexander Isak (X2) - and a 4-0 loss to Manchester City.
Premier League | Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Liverpool | 29 | 21 | 7 | 1 | +42 | 70 | |
| 2 |  Arsenal | 28 | 15 | 10 | 3 | +28 | 55 | |
| 3 |  Nottm Forest | 29 | 16 | 6 | 7 | +14 | 54 | |
| Last updated 16/03/2025 | ||||||||
Premier League | Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |  Man City | 29 | 14 | 6 | 9 | +15 | 48 | |
| 6 |  Newcastle | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | +9 | 47 | |
| 7 |  Brighton | 29 | 12 | 11 | 6 | +6 | 47 | |
| Last updated 16/03/2025 | ||||||||
