Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is set to start for Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United on Sunday (February 26th).
“Magpies” number one Nick Pope is suspended after his red card against Liverpool for handball outside the box which denied a goal scoring opportunity.
With Pope’s suspension and second goalkeeper Martin Dubravka cup tied after his loan spell with Manchester United, Karius is the suspected option.
This would be Karius’s first time playing for an English club since Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League Final defeat to Real Madrid where he made two mistakes leading to goals.
Despite Jurgen Klopp defence of Karius’ mistakes in the final, the goalkeeper did not play for Liverpool again.
Karius had loan spells at Turkish club Besiktas and German club Union Berlin before being signed by Newcastle on a free in September 2022.
Even though Karius’s career is overshadowed by the Champions League final defeat, the lead up to the final saw Karius in good form.
He played 33 games in the 2017/18 season and kept 16 clean sheets.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said: “I’ve never really discussed [the 2018 final] at any length with him. We’ve all got stuff that’s happened in our careers and our histories that you learn from and he’s no different in that respect.”
Howe expressed his disappointment about Pope’s suspension but said he is pleased for another goalkeeper to get the opportunity.
Howe added: “It’s no lie that Popey will be a big miss. He’s done very good things this season and has been a big part of why we’ve been so defensively solid. We’re confident in the squad we’ve got that we have players that can come in and do the job.”
Karius has a chance to redefine his career this Sunday as he looks to win Newcastle fans their first trophy since 1955.
(Featured image courtesy of Дмитрий Садовников, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons)
