The Carabao Cup final is upon us and the competing managers have less than two days to lock in their starting line-ups for Wembley.
Liverpool take on Newcastle United in Sunday’s showpiece, with an 11th League Cup win up for grabs for the runaway Premier League leaders.
The Reds have reached the final in three of the last four seasons and their previous two finals offer a clue as to which goalkeeper Arne Slot might select against the Magpies.
Has Alisson played in the Carabao Cup for Liverpool this season?
Liverpool won the Carabao Cup in 2021/22, beating Chelsea on penalties after 120 goalless minutes.
Caoimhin Kelleher was the Liverpool goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet in that final and then watched ten penalties go past him in a sensational shoot-out.
All 20 outfield players scored before Kelleher found the net with his spot kick. Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga ballooned his penalty over the crossbar and Jurgen Klopp’s Reds lifted the trophy.
Kelleher kept Chelsea out for 90 minutes plus extra time again in last season’s final, won by a Virgil van Dijk goal late in extra time.
Following in Klopp’s footsteps, Slot has generally opted for the 26-year-old in the domestic cups.
According to Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele, it is “more likely than not” that Kelleher will be restored to the team after first-choice Alisson, ranked at no. 1 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now, played against PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Kelleher played the entirety of three of the five matches Liverpool have played in the Carabao Cup this season, winning them all.
Vitezslav Jaros played in the fourth round against Brighton & Hove Albion with Alisson working his way through an injury in the early part of the season.
The Irishman played against West Ham United in the third round and Southampton in the quarter-final, but Slot opted for Alisson in the first leg of the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool lost a controversial game 1-0 but dismantled Spurs in the second leg, winning 4-0 with Kelleher in goal and Jaros on the bench.
According to reports, Kelleher will leave Anfield in the summer with one year left on his contract.
Depending on Slot’s inclination to give him a final bow once the Premier League title is tied up, Kelleher could play his last Liverpool game at Wembley this weekend.
