Liverpool and Newcastle face off in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday in what could be a very tight game.
Paul Merson reckons this game will go to penalties, while Chris Sutton thinks Liverpool will win 3-2 in this match.
Ultimately, this game is difficult to call.
On one hand, Liverpool are the best team in England and head into this game as favourites.
However, Liverpool did lose to PSG in midweek, and Mohamed Salah has been out of form as of late.
Speaking on Team Talks, Glenn Murray has been previewing this cup final, and he’s made an interesting prediction about one of Liverpool’s star players.
Indeed, according to Murray, Virgil van Dijk may have a tough afternoon ahead of him as he predicted that Alexander Isak could run the Dutchman ragged in this game.
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Virgil van Dijk could struggle vs Newcastle
Murray spoke about how this game could turn out and the key battle between Isak and Van Dijk.
According to the pundit, Isak could run Van Dijk ragged in the same way he did with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes against Arsenal.
Saliba is the best defender in the world according to some, and even he struggled against Isak.
“I watched Isak in the semi-final vs Arsenal, and the Arsenal defence is elite, it’s their strongest point. Isak ran Gabriel and Saliba ragged.
“I feel as though he could possibly do the same to Van Dijk.”
Alexander Isak and Virgil van Dijk’s stats from last meeting
Isak and Van Dijk are set to do battle on Sunday, and they’ve already faced off once this season.
Indeed, Newcastle and Liverpool drew 3-3 at St James’ Park earlier this season, and, on that day, Isak got the better of Van Dijk.
The stats show that Isak had a field day against Liverpool in that game, as he scored a goal and completed a number of dribbles and key passes.
| Alexander Isak stats from 3-3 draw with Liverpool | |
|---|---|
| Goals | 1 |
| Dribbles | 5 |
| Key passes | 5 |
| Shots | 2 |
Meanwhile, Van Dijk seemed to be a bit rattled. Yes, he made a number of tackles and interceptions, but, uncharacteristically, he made six clearances during the game, when he usually prefers to calmly play out from the back.
| Virgil van Dijk stats from 3-3 draw with Newcastle | |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 2 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
| Clearances | 6 |
Isak has the ability to be the difference-maker in this cup final.
Isak has actually been linked with Liverpool in recent times, and, who knows? Perhaps this could be the Swede’s final game against Van Dijk before becoming his teammate in the summer.
