Newcastle have been handed another major injury blow ahead of their Carabao Cup final clash with Liverpool later this month – with three key starters now out.
It’s fair to say that Newcastle‘s pre-final plans aren’t going too smoothly, with key player Anthony Gordon among those now unavailable.
The former Everton winger was sent off in Newcastle‘s FA Cup exit at home to Brighton last Sunday, meaning he will miss three games including the trip to Wembley.
Meanwhile, left-back Lewis Hall has been ruled out for the season, having defended well up against Mohamed Salah at Anfield.
Now, another major setback has emerged, with the Mail‘s Craig Hope reporting that centre-back Sven Botman will play no part in the Carabao Cup final, with the Dutchman requiring surgery on a knee injury.
He has only recently returned from a lengthy ACL absence, but Newcastle will again have to make do without arguably their best defender.
From a Liverpool perspective, it is impossible to deny that this is playing into their hands ahead of a huge occasion.
Gordon has scored six goals and five assists in the league this season, and could be England’s best option on the left wing now, so his absence could be a relief for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Hall was impressive when faced with the prospect of Salah last time out, with no player making more defensive actions (11), per FotMob.
His layoff could mean that Dan Burn starts at left-back, with his lack of pace potentially playing into Salah’s hands.
That said, right-back Tino Livramento was switched to the left against Brighton, allowing Burn to stay at centre-back alongside Fabian Schar.
Jamaal Lascelles is also out for the final, while Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier have both faced fitness issues of late.
While Liverpool cannot take this Newcastle side for granted, the odds are stacking up in their favour currently.
They beat Eddie Howe’s side 2-0 in the Premier League last week, but the 3-3 draw at St James’ Park in December highlighted what a dangerous team the Magpies can be.
For Newcastle, it will be one of the biggest days in the club’s history, considering their last piece of major silverware was the FA Cup 70 years ago.
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