Liverpool vs Newcastle EFL Cup Final Prediction: Newcastle’s long wait for a trophy set to go on

A double is the best Liverpool can manage this season after their exits from the FA Cup and Champions League but they are looking to get the first trophy of the campaign in their cabinet when they face Newcastle in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday (16:30 kick-off, ITV1 and Sky Sports Football).

Football Odds

Liverpool @ 4/6

The Reds look to have the Premier League in the bag with a double-figure lead and only nine league matches remaining and they are bidding for a third success in this competition in the last four years after two wins over Chelsea - on penalties in 2022 and in extra-time last season.

Newcastle's wait for a trophy has gone on rather longer with Magpies fans desperate to see their side win a domestic trophy for the first time in 70 years, but Eddie Howe's men are understandably underdogs for the showdown in London.

Team news

Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are out for Liverpool, so Jarell Quansah is likely to start at right-back. Ibrahima Konate is expected to be available while Caoimhin Kelleher, who plays in cup games for the Reds, is likely to be in goal ahead of Alisson.

Newcastle will be without winger Anthony Gordon, who is suspended, while defenders Lewis Hall, Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are out due to injuries. Either Martin Dubravka or Nick Pope will start in goal.

Match Odds 

Liverpool are 4/6 favourites to win in 90 minutes, with Newcastle available at 4/1 and the draw priced at 16/5. The Reds are 1/3 to lift the trophy with the Magpies 9/4 to win the cup.

Over 2.5 goals in the final is priced at 4/6, with under 2.5 at 6/5, and it's 8/11 that both teams score in 90 minutes and 11/10 that at least one team fails to get on the scoresheet before full-time.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is 100/30 favourite to be the first goalscorer with Newcastle's Alexander Isak at 11/2

Liverpool @ 4/6

 Liverpool have not had the week they would have wanted with a defeat on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain ending their Champions League challenge after they had won the first leg on the road.

The Reds will be keen to avoid going through another shootout after that disappointment and  should have the team to get the job done inside 90 minutes this time.

Manager Arne Slot has had a fantastic first season at Anfield and his team are 1/3 to lift the trophy at Wembley but they are worth backing at 4/6 to win inside 90 minutes.

Newcastle have reached the final the hard way with wins over four Premier League sides including an impressive 4-0 aggregate success against Arsenal in their semi-final.

Their form has been up and down since then, though, with defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool in the league before a 1-0 win at West Ham last time out.

They went out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton after extra-time and now have to face one of their bogey teams in a cup final. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 17 matches against the Magpies with seven wins and one draw in the last eight meetings. The draw was last season's 3-3 thriller at St James' Park when Fabian Schar equalised in the 90th minute.

Star winger Anthony Gordon was sent off against Brighton, which means he can't play in this game and his side failed to make much of a challenge in their 2-0 league defeat at Anfield last month.

Dominik Szoboszlai first goalscorer @ 11/1

Mohamed Salah is unsurprisingly favourite to open the scoring at Wembley but the Egyptian has been getting plenty of assistance from his team-mates this season and Dominik Szoboszlai in particular has been chipping in with some key goals.

The Hungarian midfielder is a value price to score the first goal against the Magpies having notched 10 goals this season including recent Premier League goals against Manchester City and Newcastle.

Szoboszlai scored the first goal of the game against the Magpies, as he did against Ipswich in a 4-1 win in January and Liverpool's 4-2 win at Southampton in November.

He has become a key figure in Slot's attack and could set his side on the way to their first trophy of the season.

Football Betting Tips from Betfred Insights.