Newcastle goalkeeper Loris Karius has a surprise supporter ahead of this weekend’s Carabao Cup final - former pornstar Mia Khalifa.
The German, 29, looks set to start between the sticks for the Magpies at Wembley against Manchester United. Regular number one Nick Pope is suspended following his red card against Liverpool, whilst Martin Dubravka is cup-tied after appearing for the Red Devils earlier in the competition.
That leaves just Karius and Mark Gillespie as options to start for Newcastle - the former looking the more likely to be selected. Ahead of the game, Karius - who dates TV presenter Diletta Leotta - will more than likely have the backing of ex-pornstar Khalifa.
She previously leapt to the defence of the former Mainz star after the two howlers he committed during Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2018. Karius had initially posted a picture ahead of the final in Kiev, with the caption: "Eyes on the prize".
Fans took to the post to mock the German goalkeeper in the aftermath, only to spot a flirty message from Khalifa. It read: "Is he [Karius] the prize? Because...."
She then doubled down on her message of support come the final whistle in Kiev. She posted an image of Karius with a huge smile on his face during his time with Mainz before firing a brutal shot at ex-Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos - his challenge on Reds’ star Mo Salah just one of a number of contentious moments from the match.
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Khalifa’s post read: “Keep smiling. Mistakes are human nature #F***YouRamos @lorisk21"
Karius’ outing in that final has naturally been mentioned at length ahead of Sunday’s showdown at Wembley. Since then, the German has had loan spells with Besiktas and Union Berlin - making just five appearances for the latter during the 2020/21 campaign.
Newcastle boss Howe has claimed that his two clangers against Real Madrid will not have a bearing on his selection for the Carabao Cup final. "I've never really discussed [the 2018 final] at any length with him," he confirmed to Sky Sports.
"We've all got stuff that's happened in our careers and our histories that you learn from and he's no different in that respect.
"Since day one, since he's come here, he started where he hadn't had a lot of work before joining us, he's trained with our goalkeeper coaches in a really good way and I think his general performances in training have improved as he's spent more time with us. I think he's in a good place and he's ready to play."
Karius will certainly hope to secure his first victory against Man Utd in his career should he get selected. He played against the Red Devils twice during his stint with Liverpool - earning a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw during the 2016/17 season, whilst he was on the losing side at Old Trafford during the following campaign.
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