Newcastle United lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United in 2023 but have another Wembley trip on the horizon with Liverpool their opponents this time around
Newcastle United star Kieran Trippier believes his team are far better prepared for the Carabao Cup final than they were the last time they made it to Wembley.
Eddie Howe’s side lost to Manchester United in the 2023 final, with Casemiro and Marcus Rashford scoring, but now have a chance to make up for that reverse. They beat Arsenal home and away in their semi-final to set up a meeting with league leaders Liverpool, having overcome fellow top-flight sides Brentford and Chelsea in the previous two rounds.
The Magpies were without suspended goalkeeper Nick Pope for their last trip to Wembley, and are depleted once again this time. Anthony Gordon will miss the final as he serves the second match of a three-game ban for his red card against Brighton in the FA Cup, while defenders Lewis Hall and Sven Botman are injured.
Trippier believes Newcastle have learned from their mistakes, though. And this includes moving away from the Hilton Hotel after deeming it too near to the national stadium.
“Staying at the Hilton was too close, shall we say,” Trippier said after Monday’s win away at West Ham. “It’s about learning. The club learned a lot from the first time around.
“A lot more things are well organised this time. I’m not saying it was bad last time but we’re more prepared because we’ve been in this position now.
“We played United in the last cup final and we’re more relaxed. Now we’ve just got to review this game [at the London Stadium] and look forward to another special occasion at the weekend against Liverpool.”
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Trippier’s team-mate Bruno Guimaraes scored the winner against West Ham to take Howe’s team up to sixth in the league. The Brazilian is one of the survivors from the 2023 final, and believes his team can overcome their absentee list to win this weekend.
Opponents Liverpool also won’t be at full strength on Sunday. Arne Slot’s side are already without Joe Gomez, and fellow defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is unlikely to feature after going off injured against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“We have seen people – doubters. We are focusing on ourselves,” Guimaraes told Sky Sports after Monday’s win. “Missing Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Sven Botman is not good for us, but to have players who can play well. Today we showed we have a strong squad.”
“I believe that we can win. A final everything could happen. I believe our fans can make a difference for us. For us, it is like the World Cup. We want to make history for this club. It is a long time for the fans without a trophy. [Alexander] Isak at the moment, is the best striker in the world. Our midfield has been our strength.”
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