Slot axes Diogo Jota in two changes – Liverpool predicted XI v Newcastle
Arne Slot could axe Diogo Jota amid another enforced change when Liverpool face Newcastle United in the EFL Cup Final at Wembley.
Liverpool’s hopes of winning a treble have gone up in smoke this week after they were dumped out of the Champions League by PSG, losing 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on aggregate in their last-16 tie.
While the Reds will be looking to bounce back immediately from an earlier-than-expected European exit, PSG’s impressive first-leg performance in particular will give Newcastle hope of beating them.
Furthermore, after two Liverpool defenders were withdrawn injured in the second halves of both normal and extra time on Tuesday, Slot could be forced into a re-shuffle which could benefit the Magpies.
Arne Slot to axe Jota after Liverpool no-show v PSG
Although Tuesday’s match went the distance despite Liverpool’s best efforts to recover from Ousmane Dembele’s early goal and win the tie outright in normal time, Slot’s substitutions were telling.
| Liverpool | Statistic | PSG |
| 0 | Goals | 1 |
| 1.59 | xG | 2.63 |
| 3 / 19 | Shots on Target | 8 / 21 |
| 46% | Possession | 54% |
| 12 | Corners | 6 |
Of the six changes made by the Liverpool boss, four came in extra time, and the two withdrawn in the 73rd minute are the Reds players least likely to start against Newcastle – for contrasting reasons.
Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold were both hooked in the 73rd minute, but the latter’s withdrawal was due to an injury which Slot expects to keep the right-back out of Sunday’s meeting with Newcastle.
Jota, meanwhile, had been something of a passenger in the final third compared to Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai, and with other options available to Slot, he’s set to be benched at Wembley.
Cody Gakpo return provides perfect option for Arne Slot
Losing Alexander-Arnold for Sunday’s final is a bitter blow for Slot, particularly given his successor-in-waiting Conor Bradley is also currently sidelined with a muscle injury which is set to rule him out.
As a result, Jarell Quansah is likely to slot in as a makeshift right-back alongside Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, the latter having been taken off as a precaution in extra time against PSG.
Liverpool’s midfield picks itself at the moment despite being overrun by Paris in last week’s first leg, and in attack, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz’s places on the flanks are assured after their displays this term.
The only question remaining to Slot is who to opt for up front, having replaced Jota with Darwin Nunez before the hour mark at Anfield, but also bringing a fit-again Cody Gakpo off the bench in extra time.
Nunez’s costly penalty miss in the shoot-out could damage his chances of starting at Wembley, and with Gakpo ready to prove a point after two weeks on the sidelines, he may well be the man up front for Slot.