James Buttler finds the best bets as the first domestic silverware of the English football season is decided at Wembley on Sunday.
Liverpool vs Newcastle United Carabao Cup Final
Liverpool face Newcastle United in the 65th Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Liverpool, the defending champions, will be eager to bounce back after a midweek Champions League exit on penalties to PSG, and recent history suggests they will — the Reds haven’t suffered back-to-back defeats all season.
Arne Slot will be looking to emulate Jurgen Klopp’s success in this competition, with a trophy win in his debut season sure to boost his standing among the Anfield faithful. However, Liverpool’s defensive injury woes could be a concern heading into this clash.
Historically, Liverpool have dominated this fixture, winning seven of the last eight meetings (D1), including a 2-0 victory just last month. Newcastle, though, are riding a wave of momentum after defeating West Ham and thrashing Arsenal 4-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Yet, the absence of Anthony Gordon (suspended) and injured defender Lewis Hall could prove costly for Eddie Howe’s side.
Key battle
The key battle could come down to the frontmen — Mohamed Salah has an astonishing 11 goal involvements in his last six games against Newcastle, while Alexander Isak, with 22 goals this season, remains the Magpies’ biggest threat.
With Liverpool’s strong H2H record and Newcastle missing key players, backing a Reds win looks appealing. Notably, only one of the last seven Carabao Cup finals has seen both teams score in normal time — a trend worth considering in the markets.
So, I’m taking Liverpool to win to nil in the 90 minutes and to avoid the pain of a second extra-time and penalty shootout scenario in the same week,
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