Newcastle will be without Nick Pope for next Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester United after the goalkeeper was sent off against Liverpool on Saturday evening.
Referee Anthony Taylor brandished the red card at the England shot-stopper for handling outside of the area when trying to stop a Mo Salah breakaway on 22 minutes with his side 2-0 down. Pope has kept the most Premier League clean sheets this season with 12 to his name, three more than joint-second-placed David de Gea.
Newcastle have been handed a further headache with back-up Martin Dubravka unavailable for the final after featuring in the earlier rounds of the competition for United while on loan during the first half of the season.
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And with Karl Darlow out on loan at Hull City, it means former Liverpool shot-stopper Loris Karius is in line to start the final. His last game for the Reds was his ill-fated 2018 Champions League final appearance. Alternatively, Mark Gillespie could be given the nod having not played since his three League Cup games in 2020.
Karius’ last game on English soil came in April 2018 and he has not played a game in any capacity since February 2021. United will have Casemiro back for the Carabao Cup final in what will be his first domestic game since his red card against Crystal Palace earlier this month.
He serves the last of his three-game suspension against Leicester on Sunday after being eligible for Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League draw in Barcelona.
United will definitely be without long-term injuries Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek for the final. The Reds are a place ahead of Newcastle in the Premier League table, sitting third with a five-point cushion.
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