Gary Lineker reveals Newcastle boost after Liverpool development
Newcastle United may be in a strong position to win the League Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Reds are preparing for their second EFL Cup final in three years, just five days after being dumped out of the Champions League.
Arne Slot will be keen to put that behind him to focus on winning his first piece of silverware as head coach at Anfield.
With that in mind, Gary Lineker has picked out one factor which could ultimately swing the clash at Wembley in the Geordies’ favour.
Lineker shares Newcastle delight after Liverpool defeat
It is fair to say that the Magpies will be desperate to finally secure a trophy for the first time in nearly 70 years when they travel to the capital.
Eddie Howe’s side will have to do so without the influence of Anthony Gordon, which will represent a huge blow.
Despite this, the Toon will have been pleased to see Liverpool’s defeat against PSG play out in the circumstances they did, with the final in mind.
The tiredness that this lengthy loss against the Parisians will cause hasn’t been lost on Lineker who picked this factor out on The Rest Is Football (14 March).
He said: “It was possibly a good night for Newcastle in a way. The fact that it went for 120 minutes plus penalties is draining, especially with the emotion of the evening.”
Former Newcastle striker, Alan Shearer was also pleased with what went down at Anfield as he added: “If Newcastle had chosen that night, then they would have sent Liverpool all the way to extra time and all the way to penalties in the hope that they’ll be drained for the weekend.”
Liverpool must bounce back v Newcastle
It can’t be understated how disappointing it was to drop out of the Champions League so early, especially after finishing top of the league phase.
With that being said, it can be argued that the better side over two legs went through as, without Alisson, the Reds would have been done for.
| Stat | Alisson v PSG (A) | Alisson v PSG (H) | Total |
| Saves | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Goals prevented | 2.26 | 1.15 | 3.41 |
| Recoveries | 11 | 16 | 27 |
| Passes | 16 | 23 | 39 |
Besides a moment of inspiration from Harvey Elliott in the first leg, the Parisians had the better of the chances and did well going forward and back in both clashes of the tie.
This has to be forgotten about now as there is nothing more to be done.
A League Cup final clash against Newcastle poses the perfect opportunity to put the annoyance of mid-week behind them in excellent fashion.
Slot has some work to do to get his side back up for the game, especially with the likes of Darwin Nunez after his penalty miss last time out.