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Newcastle United will be desperate to control Mohamed Salah at Wembley on Sunday - but does stopping another Liverpool man hold the key to Carabao Cup success?
Liverpool defeated Newcastle United 2-0 at Anfield last month in a match that could act as a dress-rehearsal for this Sunday’s Wembley showcase. The Magpies failed to land a glove on Liverpool that night as Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai sealed the win for Arne Slot’s side.
Coming just two and a bit months after their thrilling 3-3 draw at St James’ Park - one that saw the Magpies cruelly denied a win by a stunning Salah second-half performance - seeing the Magpies fall to a flat defeat on Merseyside was far from ideal preparation for the final. Salah will enter Wembley as Liverpool’s dangerman again this weekend - but who else do the Magpies need to be wary of, particularly with a back four that has been reshuffled slightly in recent times due to Lewis Hall’s season-ending injury?
Salah MAY NOT be Liverpool’s dangerman
That question was posed to Liverpool World’s Will Rooney, who insisted that whilst the Egyptian will of course be someone the Magpies need to mark, they also need to be wary of the man on the opposite flank: “If you go back to that game a few weeks ago, I thought he [Salah] was quite quiet as well, really. He got an assist, but I thought Lewis Hall did really well against him and marking him, as well as he could do.
“And I know it'll be Livramento playing there [this weekend], but sometimes, when you have a right footer on the left, Mo Salah likes the cutting sides, and maybe he might have his number a little bit, I don't know. But, as you say, he can come up with the big moments.
“I mean, against Aston Villa, a couple of weeks ago, he didn't do a lot. He came up with two goals, and he does put in a real shift, as well.
“I've really liked Ryan Gravenberch, this season. I think a lot of people have, but he's just chopped off a little bit. I think Alexis McAllister's really in good form. He has an excellent game against PSG.
“From an attacking sense, it's not as fluent as it was been for Liverpool lately, because Diogo Jota's is not in great form. He's admitted that himself.
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“Cody Gakpo has only just come back from injury. Darwin Nunez has had struggles.
“Luis Diaz seems to have got over a little bit of a blip, and you're losing an outlet from Trent Alexander-Arnold as well. But, from an attacking sense, yeah, Mo Salah's the danger, definitely.
“But, I have liked the recent performance of Luis Diaz. I think that he's starting to be a little bit more direct again, getting to the byline, putting balls across, and can he get the better of Kieran Trippier down that right-hand side? Obviously, Trippier's not getting any younger, is he? So, is there a potential for Luis Diaz to think, ‘right I'm just going to try and drive, get to the byline when I can or sometimes, cut back in and keep on getting at him, and that's maybe where Liverpool can expose him.”
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