Bad news at the Liverpool right-back position, as Trent Alexander-Arnold is injured again. The English superstar and Prince lookalike (or at least they looked alike when TAA had that haircut) limped out of the Reds Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, due to an ankle injury.
Reds boss Arne Slot has effectively ruled him out of the League Cup Final against Newcastle United.
EFL Cup Final FYIs
Liverpool FC vs Newcastle United
Kickoff: Sun. March 16, 4:30pm, London, UK
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There is some good news with Alexander-Arnold though- the situation is not as bad as it initially looked. While there is no definitive timeline for return here, it’s not a season-ender, which had been feared.
“With Trent, he had to come off,” Slot said on Wednesday. “That’s never a good sign. And from what I heard… that didn’t look very good. So, I would be surprised if he was available for Sunday.”
The only other change here pertains to Ibrahima Konate, who limped off during extra time, in the loss to PSG.
Nothing to worry about there however, as it was just fatigue. “I have to ask, but for me, Ibou was more that he was tired than it was an injury,” Slot said.
He should be fine for Sunday. Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez remain sidelined.
Shifting gears to Newcastle, the only fresh update here is about Lewis Hall. He underwent successful surgery to repair an injury to a bone in his foot. He’s donezo for the remainder.
“Surgery was a success, and now it’s time to rest, recover and support the boys,” manager Eddie Howe said. Knee injury recoverees Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles are still looking at returning in May.
Anthony Gordon is also unavailable, as he is suspended
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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