The latest Liverpool news as Arne Slot's side will battle for their first silverware of the season when they face Newcastle United at Wembley
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Darwin Nunez
Darwin Nunez is likely to be involved in the Carabao Cup final vs Newcastle United
(Image: PA)
Liverpool are back at Wembley for the fifth time in three years as they look to win the Carabao Cup against Newcastle United this afternoon (4:30pm). The final represents the opportunity for the Reds to lift the trophy for a second successive season and for Arne Slot to gain his first silverware since arriving at Anfield.
However, the Dutch head coach will be without several players for the clash with Trent Alexander-Arnold a significant miss, along with Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley. Ibrahima Konate is set to undergo a late fitness test after being withdrawn during the Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking ahead of the final, Slot said: "I think expectations are always there, yes, it is a part of this club, part of the history of this club and part of inheriting a quality squad as we have. It is the most important game of the season because it is the next one, so yeah it will feel for us the same, World Cup final, League Cup final, FA Cup final, Champions League final, a final on its own is always incredibly important but you can use big words for it but we find it very important and you already saw this in my lineup for both semi-finals.
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"I do know what it would mean for this club to win the Premier League, but no one told me how much it would mean to win the League Cup. But I am clear I know what it means for our players and our staff. Like I said, you only play finals to win. I think that is for you guys to judge in four or five years…If I had only won the League Cup, I don’t think you would write a book about me! But it would be a good start."
With some players set to miss out, others have hinted they will be involved in some capacity. It has become a common tradition for players to post pre-match graphics on their social media accounts on the day of a match.
Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Jarell Quansah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai all posted pre-match graphics on their Instagram stories ahead of the game. This is usually a hint that they will be involved in some capacity against Newcastle.
Out of the six players, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch started in the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week. Nunez, Quansah and Gakpo all came on as substitutes.
Quansah has often had to settle for cameo roles for the Reds this campaign as has Nunez. The Uruguayan has only made five starts in the Champions League and eight in the Premier League this term.