Wembley Stadium hosts a high-stakes EFL Cup final this Sunday as Newcastle United take on Liverpool in a battle for glory.
The Magpies are desperate to end their 70-year wait for silverware and will fight to dethrone Arne Slot’s Reds, who are out to add yet another League Cup trophy to their already glittering collection.
With Slot chasing his maiden honour in English football, Sunday’s contest promises an unforgettable spectacle under the iconic Wembley arch.
Needless to say, this fixture is unmissable, so fans keen to catch all the live action can buy Liverpool tickets on Seatsnet.com at competitive prices.
Match Preview
Once again, Liverpool are on the brink of EFL Cup glory as they prepare to defend the title they won last year.
The Reds have made the competition their birthright over the past few years.
They denied Chelsea in the 2021/22 final and now stand as the undisputed kings of the League Cup with a record-breaking 10 titles.
A win at Wembley on Sunday would add to their already glittering domestic cup collection, which includes eight FA Cup titles.
Victory would also draw them level with Manchester United for most domestic cup titles (19), which is another incentive for Slot’s troops.
Liverpool have been a force to be reckoned with en route to Sunday’s Wembley showpiece.
They brushed aside West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur with a minimum of fuss.
They’re also in cruise control of the Premier League title race – sitting 15 points clear of title pretenders Arsenal – so snapping up the EFL Cup could be the first half of a potential domestic double.
They were hoping for a treble but were stopped in their tracks by French champions Paris Saint-Germain, who knocked them out of the Champions League following a nerve-racking round of 16 clash.
The tie was decided on penalties, where Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics once again proved decisive, just as they did in the final of the 2020 European Championship at Wembley.
However, Liverpool are poised to respond to that setback by bagging a domestic title and the records back up that claim.
Each of the last four times the defending EFL Cup champions have reached the final the following season, they have gone on to lift the trophy again.
However, there should not be a single team in the whole of the British Isles more determined to buck that trend than Newcastle, who have endured an agonisingly long wait for silverware.
Since their FA Cup triumph in 1955, the Magpies have waited seven decades for silverware and face yet another daunting task in their quest to end the drought.
Newcastle came close to ending their barren run in the 2022/23 season, only to fall short against Manchester United in the EFL Cup final.
That painful defeat extended their streak of domestic cup final losses to five, making them one of the unluckiest teams in modern English football.
Only Chelsea, who have lost six consecutive FA Cup and EFL Cup finals since 2019, have suffered a worse run.
This Sunday presents Newcastle’s only remaining shot at glory this season after their disappointing FA Cup exit to Brighton two weeks ago.
However, they responded positively to the setback by grinding out a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League victory over West Ham on Monday, ending a run of five games without a clean sheet.
Unfortunately for the Magpies, that doesn’t improve their chances of keeping out Liverpool this weekend.
The last time they came up against Slot’s rampant Reds, they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Anfield.
That defeat also extended their winless run against the current EFL Cup holders to 17 matches, a daunting statistic ahead of their latest attempt at breaking their trophy curse.
Head to Head
Liverpool are on the brink of history as they aim to match United’s record for the most domestic English Cup titles.
Standing in their way is Newcastle, a club with a troubled past in cup finals and an even worse record against the Reds.
The Magpies have failed to beat Liverpool in their last 17 encounters across all competitions (D5, L12).
You’d have to go back to December 2015 when Steve McClaren was still the Magpies’ boss for the last time they beat Liverpool.
In their entire history, only against United (2002/2011) have they endured a longer winless run against any opponent (19 games).
While clashes between these two in the League Cup are rare, history offers little comfort for Newcastle.
Their only victory in this competition against Liverpool came in 1995, a 1-0 win at Anfield in the fourth round.
Meanwhile, the Reds claimed a 2-0 victory in their most recent League Cup meeting in 1997.
Sunday’s final also marks just the second domestic cup showdown between these sides, with Liverpool having beaten Newcastle 3-0 in the 1974 FA Cup final.
The fixture now joins an exclusive list as the 20th to be contested in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals.
Team News
Liverpool fans’ worst fears were confirmed on Friday as Slot announced that Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss the showpiece after picking up a knock against PSG last time out.
His absence compounds Liverpool’s defensive woes, with Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley also sidelined with hamstring injuries, leaving Slot without a single senior right-back.
In response, Jarell Quansah is expected to step in, though Slot also hinted that Curtis Jones could be an unexpected solution.
On a more positive note, Ibrahima Konate, who was forced off midweek, is likely to recover in time.
If not, Wataru Endo may have to partner with Virgil van Dijk in central defence. Tyler Morton is also ruled out but was unlikely to feature.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will be without Lewis Hall. The Englishman has been ruled out for the season with a foot injury, joining long-term absentees Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.
Anthony Gordon will also miss the final through suspension, but his replacement, Harvey Barnes, proved his worth with an assist in their recent win over West Ham.
Liverpool potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Caoimhin Kelleher; Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz; Cody Gakpo.
Newcastle United potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Martin Dubravka; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Tino Livramento; Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes.
