Liverpool will face Newcastle on Sunday afternoon with the chance to capture their first trophy of what has been an incredible 2024/25 season thus far, which will help erase some of the sourness after a shocking penalty shootout defeat to mild upstarts PSG in the Champions League Round of 16.
Their latest Champions League failure can’t blight their spirits heading into Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final, as Liverpool, even against a formidable opponent, are clear favorites as the side with a 15-point lead in the Premier League.
However, Liverpool will be without one of the best players in the world on Sunday, as star right back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of the game with an ankle injury he picked up at mid-week in the defeat to PSG, as if being knocked out of the Champions League wasn’t bad enough.
Although the young Conor Bradley filled in admirably for the Reds in the Champions League earlier this season by shutting down Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid fame, Arne Slot has indicated that Jarell Quansah will move from center back to right back and continue to play in this must-win final.
In addition to Quansah, here are two more Liverpool players who must step up with Alexander-Arnold out against the Magpies.
Jarell Quansah
The 22-year-old Quansah has made just four starts this season in the Premier League and is thus the most unproven player in the Final, and as the man directly replacing Alexander-Arnold in the XI, he has the most to prove – and the most to gain – on Sunday.
Quansah is a great talent at the center back position, and, as Joe Gomez has done, it’s the 22-year-old’s chance to prove that he is a versatile player whom the Reds can trust to step up in the big moment.
Though he has just one appearance this season at right back, Quansah can feel some confidence in himself since Slot is putting his trust in him. Plus, with Newcastle star Anthony Gordon also out, Quansah has a much easier matchup on tap.
Andrew Robertson
Meanwhile, Andrew Robertson will have to face a pretty tricky customer in Jacob Murphy, who is an intelligent winger capable of creating a solid volume of chances for superstar striker Alexander Isak.
Robertson has been a liability all season long for Liverpool, but there have been flashes of the old A-Rob at times this season. Once the best left back in the world, Robertson is now at the top of the list of players Liverpool want to replace this summer.
With Alexander-Arnold out, more attacking verve will be placed on the shoulders of Robertson, especially if Slot unbalances the formation to have Quansah tuck in like a center back.
Alexis Mac Allister
From a progression and creation standpoint, Liverpool will need their midfielders to do most of the heavy lifting in picking up the slack for Alexander-Arnold, and the talented Alexis Mac Allister is at the top of a list of a few players who will have to do just a little bit more from a chance creation perspective on Sunday.
Newcastle have a tough midfield, led by the world-class Bruno Guimaraes, so an already tough task for Mac Allister just got even more important. A former World Cup winner, Mac Allister isn’t having his most convincing season, but, again, he’s had some great games this year, including one in the Champions League against Real Madrid.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.