Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has opened up on how much it hurt him to miss out on playing in last season’s Carabao Cup final through injury — with the Hungarian desperate to make the most of the opportunity this time around.
Arne Slot is expected to name Szoboszlai in his starting XI against Newcastle United at Wembley, alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch. And the former RB Leipzig ace expects the Reds to make the most of the chance to win a first piece of silverware since Jurgen Klopp departed.
“We are ready to fight,” the Liverpool number eight said. “You never know who is going to play, but it doesn’t matter on our side who is playing in midfield — everybody is ready to fight and everybody is ready to give everything for the team.
“It’s a final, so you go in a different way into the game. But as I said, it doesn’t matter who is playing. The most important [thing] is that everybody’s goal is the same.
“I know it’s always easy to say if you’re playing to the guys who are not playing so much, ‘Yeah, just focus on the team because the team is the most important’ — that’s true.
“But I have been in the situation also and it’s not the easiest way, but you have to keep going, you have to handle it, your time will come. Things change really quickly.
(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
“It’s unlucky if somebody gets injured, then you have to step in and then you have to be ready and you have to show yourself. That’s the most important [thing]. Hopefully that can make us special, that we have the whole squad, the 25 players.”
Szoboszlai missed out on featuring against Chelsea in the same showpiece game last season because of an injury. This time, he wants to make the most of the chance to appear at Wembley.
“I had the opportunity to play [in the 2024 final] but I couldn’t because of my injury,” Szoboszlai, who was speaking to Liverpool’s official website, said. “Hopefully now I have the chance to play. That’s the decision of the coach but I’m ready to play.
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“I waited until the end [to see] if I’m able to play or not [last year]. I wanted to. I had a little pain still but I wanted to play.
“But then we were thinking long term. So, it’s better not to risk it for one game and be out for even longer, so that’s why we decided not to play — [like] all the others in the final last year. But they did very well and hopefully this year as well.”
Liverpool.com says: Szoboszlai will definitely start if he is 100 per cent ready to go. He didn’t stand out that much against PSG midweek but he has been in exceptional form lately.
