Newcastle United are looking to end a 56-year wait for a major trophy in the Carabao Cup final this month.
After the week they’ve had, Newcastle United fans will be eager for some good fortunes. It has been disastrous for Eddie Howe and his players.
Anthony Gordon was sent off after a moment of madness in Newcastle’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton last Sunday, meaning he will miss the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Missing the final alongside Gordon are defensive duo Lewis Hall and Sven Botman.
Hall sustained an ankle injury in the Premier League defeat to Liverpool a few days before the Brighton game which requires surgery, thus keeping him out until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Botman misses the final with a knee injury he picked up during the semi-final win against Arsenal at St James’ Park in February. Howe believed he was close to a return against Brighton, but the Dutchman felt a problem in the last training session.
He will now be out for eight weeks, but Howe is confident Botman will return before seasons end. Former Newcastle owner Amanda Staveley and her husband Merhdad Ghodoussi put a lot of time and effort into the club during their two-and-a-half years at the club, regularly attending matches.
Staveley has now made her prediction ahead of the final as the Magpies look forward to a trip to Wembley Stadium.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
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Amanda Staveley predicts Carabao Cup final
Staveley and Ghodoussi left Newcastle in the fallout of last summer’s disastrous PSR deadline which saw the club forced to sell two young stars to avoid a points deduction. Despite that, the pair are still loved on Tyneside.
The former Newcastle director was back on Tyneside on Friday for an International Women’s Day event, she spoke to ITV News about the final, giving her prediction for the game.
“I’m really confident that we’ll get the win. I know Eddie and the whole team and city are focused on this match. It means the whole world to everybody. I don’t want to give any predictions because I don’t want to jinx anything but I know how much this trophy means to everybody.
“Whatever the result it will be an incredible achievement because getting to two finals in such a short period of time is just a testament to all the hard work the shareholders, PIF, the Rueben family have put into the club and the support of the fans, it couldn’t happen without the amazing Newcastle community.”
Amanda Staveley confirms Carabao Cup final attendance
Staveley watched Newcastle lose the Carabao Cup final in 2023. However, she will be hoping that it will be second time lucky for her former club.
Howe is confident Newcastle have learned from the 2023 final and are taking things one game at a time. A boost for Newcastle is that they will have more time off than Liverpool, with the Reds playing an important Champions League tie against PSG at Anfield a few days before the final.
Toon legend Alan Shearer praised Allison Becker for his performance in the first leg against PSG – Newcastle will undoubtedly have a hard time scoring past him at Wembley.
Speaking to ITV News, Staveley was asked how she was feeling ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
“Very excited, it was really emotional when we got to the cup final before it was a tough match, a really tough match. I’m really excited about the men being in the final.
“I’ll be there with Alexander and Mehrdad, all our family. We’re just so proud of everybody and we’re so excited for the fans to have this because it will be the most incredible day.
“I’ll be like a proud mum, so I’ll be very nervous. I don’t want to embarrass myself, (in 2023), I cried a lot. It’s the most remarkable privilege to be there with the fans. So I’m looking forward to celebrating as a fan.”