Having absolutely zero chance of a Wembley ticket and then your mate does his back in! | OneFootball

Ahead of Liverpool v Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final, we are looking to gauge the thoughts of Newcastle United fans ahead of that 4.30pm kick-off at Wembley on Sunday.

So we have asked a number of regular and irregular contributors to The Mag a range of questions.

How they think things are looking ahead of this massive match.

Whether or not they have a ticket for this Carabao Cup Final and what they expect to see happen when Newcastle United meet Liverpool.

Ticketed or ticketless for Sunday?

Absolutely no prospect of a ticket for the biggest Newcastle United match since… the last massive Newcastle United match I went to, which just happened to be in Dortmund. Was that really less than 18 months ago?

Anyway, I was happy for all those loyal supporters having their day in the sun at Wembley, including Mag contributors, commenters and die-hards who have suffered far more slings and arrows of outrageous fortune than I ever will. For backing United through thin and thinner, they deserved another cracking day out.

One of those was an old schoolfriend, all set to travel down on Saturday morning for 48 hours of mayhem and madness. On Friday night he WhatsApped me while I was playing estimation whist at the in-laws after enjoying a delicious roast pork supper. My mobile was on Do Not Disturb but I noticed a message flash up. Who says men cannot multitask?

Anyway, to cut a long story a little shorter, he had overdone the golf, the heavy lifting for his twin sister and the gig attendance (eXTC, as you were asking). His back was kaputt. Barring a medical miracle, he couldn’t travel. Would I like to be first reserve? Confirmation to follow early Saturday.

It did, at 5.45am. He was knackered. Talk about unlucky. His misfortune transformed my Sunday from ticketless and happy to watch the game with my son (whose TV set is not quite as big as his dad’s!) to booking the first train out of West Worthing up to Ye Olde London Town.

Meet his mates (who tolerate my company) in the glamorous setting of a Paddington Premier Inn, then head to Wembley. Before that, of course, I need to tell me ma, me ma, I won’t be home for tea. At 95-and-a-half, she might become the stand-in’s stand-in by going to her grandson’s to watch the match.

What are your plans around the match this weekend?

Fluid. For once, Southern Rail is not indulging in engineering works. I’ll walk briskly from Victoria to Paddington via Hyde Park for a rendezvous with the boys.

When I checked the online weather forecast for London there was a flood warning. Don’t panic. It referred only to the Thames, where spring tides are likely to upset a few careless car parkers in the Putney and Richmond ghetto.

What happens after the final whistle is anyone’s guess, though another flood warning might have to be issued for the tears of joy if I see us lift a “major trophy” for the first time since United were running round St James’ Park with the Anglo-Italian Cup in December 1974. Won after extra-time, by the way.

There’s no need to catch the last train back to Sussex on Sunday night, however tomorrow plays out. Not only am I benefiting from a spare ticket, there’s a room to be shared at a Premier Inn. How could I refuse?

The old favourite, would you rather win this Cup Final on Sunday or qualify for the Champions League via the Premier League (Obviously bearing in mind the PSR/money side of things as well)?

Win the League Cup. That gets us into a Uefa competition. Then finish in the top five of the Premier League in May, which would see us move on up to the riches of the Champions League. Yes, that’s a cop-out of an answer but why can’t I be greedy after decades of famine?

Maybe a bit more difficult, would you rather win on Sunday but have no Champions League qualification these next five seasons, or lose on Sunday and have Champions League qualification guaranteed for each of the next five seasons. (Obviously bearing in mind the PSR/money side of things as well)?

Regrettably, losing tomorrow is a price worth paying to guarantee five consecutive runs in the Champions League.

What would be your starting eleven in the Carabao Cup Final?

Pope; Livramento, Schar, Krafth, Burn, Trippier; Murphy, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Isak. A 5-4-1 that morphs into a 3-4-3.

What would have been your starting eleven if everybody had been available?

Pope; Livramento, Schar, Botman, Burn, Hall; Joelinton, Tonali, Guimaraes, Gordon; Isak.

What chance do Newcastle United have of lifting the trophy (rating it between 0 and 10)?

Five. Liverpool are not as supreme as the Premier League table suggests. We gave as good as we got at St James’ Park this season. They will be without Alexander-Arnold, which is a mixed blessing for us. He is a severely sub-standard defender but can hit killer passes if given a second or two to look up. Jota has been off-form for weeks and might be benched. A fit Konate is no great shakes. If he starts, I doubt he will see out the whole game. Salah was one of the worst Liverpool players in their games against PSG. A strong referee will be needed. The guy who officiated at Anfield on Tuesday was my man-of-the-match.

How important was the West Ham match to our chances in the final? Has defeating the Hammers gave us a better (or worse?!!) chance, compared to if NUFC had lost on Monday?

Momentum builds confidence. The clean sheet and three points were just what the doctor ordered.

Anyone who says Liverpool were superior to PSG in the second leg views football differently from me. The Parisians moved better, passed better and made better chances than the hosts. Oh, and they also scored while keeping a clean sheet. All of that must have been a blow to Liverpool’s confidence. Two hours-plus of intense football, followed by defeat in the shootout, cannot have helped them.

Who do you think are the three most important players on Sunday and in what order and why?

Isak, who needs to find his best form again. Is he nursing an injury? Against West Ham he looked slow. Van Dijk will be hoping our ace marksman is less than 100%. The battle between those two top players could be the deciding factor.

Guimaraes, who can be our driving force in midfield and even break forward to great effect, as he showed last Monday.

Pope, because a winning team normally needs the keeper to earn his corn.

Looking back at your time supporting Newcastle United, which are the times when you thought NUFC were potentially going to win something?

As an eternal pessimist, I have rarely fancied us to go big in the trophy stakes. Even in the 95-96 season, the last-minute chance Sir Les missed at White Hart Lane felt as if it was a turning point. The next morning, standing on the touchline watching my son play for Castle Colts in Maidstone, I was mocked by the other dads for suggesting United would be caught.

Would this automatically be the highlight of your time supporting NUFC if they beat Liverpool on Sunday?

To quote a line from When Harry Met Sally: “Yes, yes, oh yes! Yes!” Unlike the lovely Meg Ryan, there ain’t no faking going on. Just a whole lotta shakin’.

Anything special planned if/when we win this Cup Final?

The aforementioned big night out with the lads. Unlikely to feature in the next series of TV adverts for Premier Inn (other hotels are sometimes available).

A certain Senhor Mourinho would call me “a specialist in failure”. I’m the winner of precisely one proper trophy in a less-than-stellar sporting life. The feeling on the bowls green last September was wonderful, though slightly tempered by beating my good friend Nour in the final of the Worthing Pavilion silver jack tournament. Rest assured that if United beat Liverpool, there will be no moderation in my emotional high. Scuse me while I kiss the sky!