Liverpool FC have one hand on a trophy (Premier League) right now. But the only chance for Arne Slot’s men to bag a double comes Sunday when they face Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final. For the Magpies, it’s a chance to end a 70 year trophy drought.
Yes, they have not won a domestic top flight piece of silverware since the 1955 FA Cup. So we can’t stress enough how amped up both sides will be for this one.
EFL Cup Final FYIs
Liverpool FC vs Newcastle United
Kickoff: Sun. March 16, 4:30pm, London, UK
Preview Content for Both Sides: Team News Starting XI Predictions
So with that in mind, both sides will go strongest first team possible here. With Liverpool, they have the disadvantage of having just played a long, grueling match against Paris Saint-Germain.
So we looked at the first team from the PSG clash, saw what rotations Reds boss Arne Slot made for that match, and adjusted accordingly when making our prediction here.
EFL Cup Starting XI Predictions
Liverpool FC
Alisson; Jarrell Quansah, Wataru Endo, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones; Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo; Darwin Nunez
Newcastle United
Nick Pope; Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier; Joe Willock, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali; Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak
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.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.