'Not good' - Newcastle suffer hammer double blow before Liverpool final as official statement released

Newcastle United are set to be without two key players for the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, reports suggest.

The Reds aim to defend their silverware at Wembley on Sunday 16 March. Arne Slot’s side head into the affair favourites as they sit top of the Premier League table by 13 points following a 2-0 win over the Magpies last week.

The pair will do battle once again at the national stadium, but Newcastle currently have Anthony Gordon suspended. The forward was given a red card in Eddie Howe’s outfit’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Brighton at the weekend. Gordon must serve a three-match ban but Newcastle boss Howe admitted that he had been weighing up whether to appeal the decision.

Double blow

However, Sky Sports have suggested that the St James’ Park club will not look to get the sending-off rescinded. Keith Downie, who is Sky Sports’ north-east correspondent, posted on X: “Newcastle will not appeal Anthony Gordon’s red card against Brighton on Sunday. That means the winger will miss the next three matches, including the Carabao Cup Final next weekend.”

Lewis Hall was absent against Brighton with an ankle injury. The regular left-back had to see a specialist after the Liverpool reverse for an ankle injury. Newcastle have confirmed Hall is ruled out for the rest of the season. A club statement said: “Lewis Hall will miss the rest of the 2024/25 season after sustaining an injury to a bone in his foot.

“Following a scan and advice from a specialist, Lewis will undergo surgery before a period of rehabilitation with the club’s medical team. Wishing you all the very best for your surgery and recovery, Lewis”

It means that Newcastle with have to rejig their left-hand side entirely at Wembley. Tino Livramento is likely to start on the left-hand side of defence and will be marking Liverpool’s talisman Mo Salah. Howe will then have to decide who features on the left flank in attack. Harvey Barnes could be handed a rare start or Jacob Murphy is an option to shift flanks. Joelinton has also played in the advanced role previously, having returned to action off the bench against Brighton following a knee injury.

Alexander Isak suffered a late groin injury before the loss to Liverpool last week. The talismanic 21-goal striker returned to Newcastle’s starting line-up against Brighton but was subbed off with four minutes of normal time remaining. Kieran Trippier, who replaced the injured Hall, also had a minor back issue.

Liverpool challenge

It is well documented that the Magpies have not won a major trophy since 1955. Their task of ending a 70-year drought has been made more difficult should Hall and Gordon be unavailable, as reported. However, Howe is hoping Newcastle can make tweaks from their defeat by Liverpool in their bid for glory.

Speaking after the Anfield encounter, the former AFC Bournemouth chief said: “You always learn. Sometimes you learn more in defeat than victory and two games against them this season, we have been competitive, but we have to perform better than today if we want to win the trophy.

“We need to find our best rhythm again, we have a few players out missing, hopefully we can get them back. Big games, big moments in our season.”