Carabao Cup final: Liverpool vs Newcastle - Trent Alexander-Arnold injured as Eddie Howe regrets Anthony Gordon absence

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is facing an extended spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury, ruling him out of Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, live on Sky Sports.

Arne Slot says Alexander-Arnold will be back before the end of the season after sustaining an injury in the second half of Liverpool's Champions League exit to PSG on Tuesday, but his absence leaves Slot without a recognised right-back.

Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are still recovering from their own respective injuries, but there is hope Ibrahima Konate can shake off the effects of a knock that also forced him off five days ago.

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"Trent is not available. He will not be there at the final," said Slot.

"He is still to be assessed for how long it will take but we do expect him back before the end of the season.

"On Ibou Konate, we didn't train yesterday, we had a day off, and the day before that was recovery. I expect him to train with us today but let's see how he is."

Slot added: "In this part of the season, it's almost impossible to have all your players fit. Both teams have two, or three or four players who cannot play. That's almost a privilege because so many teams have had more than that.

"Two or three injuries is the minimum you can expect after months of non-stop football. It's a big compliment to staff of Newcastle and Liverpool that players are available."

Slot backs Quansah at right-back after England call-up

The injury to Alexander-Arnold leaves Jarell Quansah as Liverpool's likely starter at right-back at Wembley. The 22-year-old will go into the game having earned an England call-up from Thomas Tuchel.

"It says a lot about his mentality," said Slot when asked about his call-up. "Last season everyone saw what a talent he is. Then, this season started with him starting, but I changed him against Ipswich and Ibou and Virgil [Van Dijk] were - and are - such a strong combination that he didn't play a lot.

"Afterwards, every time he played, everyone could see that he is no longer just a [young] talent because as a [young] talent you don't have any setbacks.

"The moment you get setbacks, it's about how you react and I think he showed in his recent performances that he outgrew being called a [young] talent and that is probably what Thomas Tuchel saw and sees by calling him up."

Quansah sent a header against the post after replacing Alexander-Arnold at right-back against PSG and earned praise from Slot for his recent displays.

"He did really well the last few times he had to play for us, even in a position he is not used to, as a right-back, but he has the qualities to play there," added Slot.

"He's strong, he's fast, he's very comfortable on the ball, and it gives us an extra quality in terms of set-pieces.

"He showed mentality, and that he had quality, which we knew when we saw him playing last season."

Howe: Newcastle unified despite absences

Newcastle will look to present a unified front when they return to Wembley for their second cup final in three years, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday.

Newcastle - who have the chance to win their first major trophy since 1955 - will be without centre back Sven Botman and left back Lewis Hall, both of whom picked up injuries this month.

Anthony Gordon is also serving a three-game suspension after being shown a red card against Brighton in the FA Cup.

"Everyone else is available," the manager said. "Losing big important players is never easy, but you have to come back stronger in a unified way.

"We've tried to double down on our core strengths. The spirit is really good and that's why the win at West Ham was so important. Everything is positive.

"Genuinely, whenever I look at a team selection there is always decisions to make. We're looking at the opposition and figuring out who needs to slot in where. We have a very tight squad, so there aren't loads of options."

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What impact might absences have on the game?

Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:

It's difficult to assess exactly how much impact absences will have on Sunday but I make it about even. Newcastle's left-side decimation is somewhat balanced out by Liverpool's right-sided problems. They have no recognised full-back to fill the void left by Alexander-Arnold.

Clearly Gordon is Newcastle's biggest miss and a needless one. Silly petulance has cost big. Gordon will know that, but perhaps the one to suffer most from his ineligibility is Alexander Isak.

Isak has been one of the most clinical finishers in the Premier league this season - holding the best shot conversion of the league's top three scorers and requiring fewer touches in the box to score a goal. He ranks ahead of Erling Haaland but behind Mo Salah for minutes per goal and xG performance. And yet, much of his service relies on the directness of Gordon - the winger is Newcastle's top chance creator (49).

Barnes is a decent enough replacement but a different profile of winger. He'll be expected to get at stand-in right-back Quansah in search of Isak while also providing enough cover to help quell the threat of Salah. Big battles emerging already.

Final not about a response from CL disappointment for Slot

Sky Sports News' Vinny O'Connor:

"Injuries rather than contract situations are Arne Slot's more pressing concern. While he admitted that, like Virgil van Dijk, he still doesn't know who of the three out-of-contract players will be staying or going in the summer, it appears he doesn't need to know at this point.

"What he does know is that he won't have Trent Alexander-Arnold available for the League Cup final with the injury he sustained in the Champions League last-16 exit to PSG, and without putting a timescale on his recovery, the Liverpool head coach is hopeful he will have him back before the end of the season, with the Reds closing in on their 20th league title.

"However, it leaves him with an interesting decision at right-back. Jarell Quansah has performed well there when needed, a need that's been heightened with Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley still sidelined.

"Wataru Endo is another option, he too has played there before, while there is also the possibility of switching one of Andy Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas from left-back. Slot also hinted that Curtis Jones filling in there is something else he could consider ahead of the squad's first full training session following Tuesday night's disappointment.

"Wednesday was a recovery day after as intense an experience as Liverpool have faced this season, while Thursday was much-needed time off.

"Preparations now ramp up again ahead of the first opportunity for Slot to deliver his first trophy as Liverpool's Head Coach.

"He's looking at the weekend in isolation. It's not about a response to their Champions League exit as the disappointment of going out will still be felt...but you play games like this to win and that's the sole aim heading to a final...an experience he will never take for granted."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Carabao Cup final: Liverpool vs Newcastle - Trent Alexander-Arnold injured as Eddie Howe regrets Anthony Gordon absence