Collymore backs Liverpool to win Carabao Cup – but final can be free hit for Newcastle | OneFootball

Next Sunday, Liverpool and Newcastle United will contest the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. The Premier League leaders are huge favourites to win, especially after the events of the last few days.

Last weekend, Anthony Gordon incurred a three-match suspension after being sent off against Brighton in the FA Cup, and that means that he cannot play. Furthermore, injury problems for defenders Lewis Hall and Sven Botman mean that they are also unavailable.

Stan Collymore, speaking in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, believes that Liverpool are firm favourites to win at Wembley, but Newcastle could cause problems if they play without fear.

“I think Liverpool will be a lot more relaxed than Newcastle for the Carabao Cup final because it is not their priority. They are not under pressure to win because they are focusing more on the Premier League and Champions League, and because of this, they can approach the match as normal, which gives them a better chance of replicating their best form.

“Anthony Gordon’s suspension is a big problem for Newcastle. I would have looked to see him at Wembley, where he can take advantage of the wide-open spaces on the pitch, especially as counter-attacking would probably be Eddie Howe’s gameplan.

Sven Botman will miss the Carabao Cup final as he needs surgery on his knee (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

“The converse argument for Newcastle is that now everyone thinks that they have already lost, so there is less pressure on them. As a result, they could turn up with a big performance because they do not fear losing, and the expectation that they will lost could fire up their ambition to cause an upset.

“I think that Liverpool will win – not only because Newcastle have lost Gordon and also Lewis Hall and Sven Botman to injury, but also mentally, there could be some Newcastle players that feel extra pressure because of their trophy drought. Liverpool will be more relaxed because the Carabao Cup is not their priority, and their players will be able to perform as normal.

“I think that will be a 2-0 or 3-1 victory for Liverpool.”