Conor Bradley injury update in blow for Liverpool in Carabao Cup final

Conor Bradley is not expected to be fit for the Carabao Cup final, which comes as a big blow with Liverpool also likely to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool face Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday evening, with both sides now set to be missing key names.

Tuesday night saw Alexander-Arnold join the injury list for Liverpool, with a suspected ankle problem leaving Arne Slot to tell reporters he “would be surprised if he is available for Sunday.”

• READ: Trent Alexander-Arnold injury update – and latest on Ibrahima Konate

The Reds are not only without their first-choice right-back but also his primary backup in Bradley, who is not due to return ahead of the final.

Bradley has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa a month ago, already missing the last five games.

The 21-year-old has now been left out of the Northern Ireland squad for their friendlies with Switzerland and Sweden later this month, with the Irish FA confirming this is due to injury.

With those two fixtures not until March 21 and 25, it stands to reason that Bradley is not expected to be fully fit before the end of the month.

That would rule him out of any involvement in the Carabao Cup final and, if Alexander-Arnold is also out as anticipated, that would leave Jarell Quansah to start at right-back.

Quansah replaced Alexander-Arnold midway through the second half against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday and almost scored with a header that struck the far post.

Though a natural centre-back, the academy graduate also has experience at full-back, but is far from the ideal starter in a game of this magnitude.

Joe Gomez would have been another option but the 27-year-old is also out with a hamstring injury and is not due back until the final weeks of the season.

Alexander-Arnold is likely to undergo a scan on his injury on either Wednesday or Thursday before any final verdict is made on his availability.

Slot could turn to the academy

If he is out and Quansah starts against Newcastle, Slot could draft in youngster Isaac Mabaya as further cover at right-back, with centre-back Amara Nallo another option as a substitute.

Tyler Morton (shoulder) is Liverpool’s only other known absentee at this stage, though there were clear signs in Cody Gakpo‘s cameo against PSG that he is not yet able to start following a knock to his ankle.

• READ: Federico Chiesa exclusion puzzles Liverpool fans with Cody Gakpo ‘not fit’

Wataru Endo could also be considered as either starting right-back or emergency cover at centre-back, with Quansah’s expected stint on the defensive flank leaving Slot short of central defenders.

While Ibrahima Konate limped off late on against PSG, the Frenchman is not seen as a concern for the weekend.

Newcastle are without the suspended Anthony Gordon along with the long-term injured Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Jamaal Lascelles, though Alexander Isak has come through a fitness concern of his own.

Liverpool’s injury record

Throughout the 2024/25 season so far, the Reds have had 12 different players sidelined for a combined 124 matches.

Eleven senior players, meanwhile, have not missed a game due to injury – though five have been absent for at least one match due to either illness or suspension.

Gomez and Bradley have experienced the longest time out of the side with injury absences totalling 16 games each so far, with Diogo Jota (15), Harvey Elliott (14), Federico Chiesa (14) and Alisson (13) not far behind.

They are absences that Liverpool could have done without to key personnel, but so far it is a significant improvement after 670 combined games missed due to injury across the previous two seasons.

Ruben Peeters, first-team lead physical performance coach, has been a catalyst for change after boasting a record above 90 percent for player availability whilst with Slot at Feyenoord.

The pair are known to have a keen eye for detail, with Peeters consistently looking to find ways to optimise performance, whether that be through sleep or diet, among other things.