Virgil van Dijk must galvanise his Liverpool teammates ahead of facing Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
With the game at Wembley looming, it is Newcastle United who have been suffering setbacks.
Form has dipped, while selection issues have emerged. Newcastle will be without three key players for the Carabao Cup final, with Anthony Gordon suspended and Lewis Hall and Sven Botman injured.
But Newcastle’s win over West Ham has provided a boost, while Liverpool are now the ones suffering a setback.
They were knocked out of the Champions League on penalties by PSG on Tuesday night, while Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered an injury and is now a doubt for the final.
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images
Virgil van Dijk reacts to penalty shootout loss ahead of Carabao Cup final
It was a crushing defeat for the Reds, with Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones missing their penalties as PSG dumped them out of the Champions League.
Liverpool do not have time to feel sorry for themselves, with Virgil van Dijk telling his teammates that missed in the shootout to keep their chin up and get ready to go again on Sunday.
“It’s part of football,” he told Amazon Prime.
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“I said to the guys – obviously you can be disappointed because we are out of the competition, but chin up.
“Get ready for the next challenge. It is a beautiful one on the weekend, so we go again.”
Newcastle United’s record in penalty shootouts
Liverpool suffered penalty shootout heartache on Tuesday night, as their European dreams came to an end for another season.
There is every chance there could be more penalty shootout heartache on Sunday, as Newcastle United and Liverpool battle it out for the League Cup.
When it comes to penalty shootouts, the Magpies’ record is not great. They have competed in 14, winning five and losing nine.
Their most recent was earlier this season, as Newcastle triumphed over Nottingham Forest to advance in the Carabao Cup. Sean Longstaff scored the decisive spot-kick at the City Ground.
Out of those 14 penalty shootouts, four have been during Eddie Howe’s reign as manager. He has won three and lost one, with the single defeat coming in the Carabao Cup quarter-final last season.
In comparison, Liverpool’s penalty shootout record is much better. They have won 18 out of 28, and had won four in a row before their defeat to PSG on Tuesday night.