Given the way in which both teams like to play football, it could be one of the most exciting and open finals seen at the famous old ground in years, and the Magpies will be hoping it’s third time lucky after losing in their other two final appearances in the competition (1976 vs Manchester City and 2023 vs Manchester United).
In their way are a dominant Liverpool side who look even more formidable under Arne Slot than they did when Jurgen Klopp was in charge.
It will be the Reds' 15th League Cup final, which is five more appearances than any other side, and they’ve already won the trophy a record 10 times, two more than anyone else.
If they emerge triumphant again, they will have equalled Manchester United’s haul of 19 domestic trophies won (excluding league titles).
Eddie Howe will know that the odds are stacked against his side given that they are winless in their last 17 meetings with Liverpool in all competitions (D5 L12 - all in the Premier League), not to mention the weight of history upon their shoulders and the desperate need for a trophy hanging like a millstone around their necks.
The 1955 FA Cup final, when Newcastle beat Manchester City 3-1 at Wembley, was the last time the Magpies won a major domestic trophy.
Since then, they’ve lost in five major cup finals (2x League Cup, 3x FA Cup), including against Liverpool in the 1974 FA Cup final.
To put their rotten luck into more context, Newcastle won on each of their first five appearances at Wembley Stadium, all in FA Cup finals between 1924 and 1955, but since then have lost their last nine games there, the longest losing run at the ground by any club side.
However, Howe will look to his recent personal record in the competition where he’s won 12 of his 16 League Cup matches with Newcastle United (75%), the best win ratio of any manager to take charge of more than one game in the competition for the club.
He could also become the first English manager to win a major trophy with a Premier League side since Harry Redknapp won the 2008 FA Cup with Portsmouth.
It’s the fourth final of Arne Slot’s career, the Dutchman having only won one of his previous three (against NEC in last season’s Dutch KNVB Cup final), all of which ended 1-0.
All eyes are likely to be on Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak, and with good reason. Both strikers have been in sensational form this season and will surely carry the hopes of both sets of fans.
Salah has been involved in four goals in his last five League Cup appearances (3G, 1A), but has just one goal in seven appearances for Liverpool at Wembley. Incredibly, he has a lower shot conversion rate there (4%, one goal from 27 shots) than at any other stadium where he’s had 15+ shots for Liverpool.
It is worth pointing out that he has been directly involved in 18 goals in 16 appearances against Newcastle in all competitions, though (10G, 8A).
Cody Gakpo has also scored nine goals in 11 appearances since making his debut in the competition in September 2023 - five more than any other Liverpool player. Newcastle, therefore, have to be on their guard against a bombardment from all sides.
From Isak’s point of view, the Swedish international has had a hand in four goals in his five appearances against Liverpool (3G, 1A). All three of his goals have either put Newcastle 1-0 up (twice) or drawn them level (once), so we might well see a fast start from the Magpies as they look to gain an early foothold.
Anthony Gordon is suspended for the final after picking up a late red card in the recent FA Cup tie against Brighton.
Given that Gordon's international colleague, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is out of the final because of an injury sustained in the Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle will surely be rueing the fact that Gordon won't get the chance to terrorise Liverpool down their right side.
In this season's competition, Gordon has played the joint most games of any Newcastle player, is tied with two others for the most goals (2) and assists (1) in their run to the final, and with 372 minutes played is only marginally worse off than Isak who has played the most (382 minutes).
His loss to the team could therefore be as important as Nick Pope's was in 2023. Ironically, Pope's red card came against Liverpool and meant the custodian was suspended for that year's final.
Newcastle will also be without Sven Botman and Lewis Hall on Sunday through injury. Having their first-choice players down the left side of the team unavailable in Hall and Gordon may well be a shattering blow from which the Magpies don't recover.
Hall's 77.8% pass completion success is only bettered by Joelinton (87.5%) for Newcastle players that have made at least five passes in this season's competition, putting pressure on right-back, Tino Livramento, who is likely to slot in on the left on Sunday.
Both Livramento and Dan Burn were named in Thomas Tuchel's first England squad, the latter potentially gaining a first-ever cap at 32 years of age if he's selected in the starting XI for either of the games against Albania and Latvia. How both players would love to cap the week off with a win at Wembley.
One other key battle to keep an eye on will be in the middle of the park, where Sandro Tonali will come face to face with Ryan Gravenberch. Whomever gains control in those congested areas is likely to end up on the winning side.
As we can see from the attached head-to-head graphic (Premier League games only), Gravenberch comes out on top in most aspects.
Both clearly like getting stuck in as virtually one tackle each per game on average would attest, whilst Tonali, who likes to get forward for Newcastle, has only completed about half of his contemporary's successful dribbles.
Gravenberch is also way ahead in terms of key passes made. However, Tonali has more than double the shots on target.
On Sunday, peppering the Liverpool goal from all areas will be a necessary facet of Newcastle's play given the Reds' free-scoring abilities.
69 Premier League goals scored is 22 more than the 47 that Eddie Howe's side have managed, though Newcastle's 11 goals en route to Wembley is just shy of Liverpool's 14, suggesting Sunday's final could be a classic. Game on!
