Kieran Trippier is one of the senior players in the Newcastle dressing room (Image: Getty)
has called on ’s stand-in stars to follow Harvey Barnes’s lead and step up for the final. Barnes created the Bruno Guimaraes goal which downed on Monday night, and he is set to deputise for the suspended against at Wembley.
Vacancies have also been opened up in defence by injuries to Lewis Hall and Sven Botman. And Trippier has challenged whoever gets the nod to rise to the occasion, just like Barnes did at the London Stadium.
“Of course, Anthony is a massive miss for us, but this is where players have got to show their character,” said the 34-year-old.
“Players have got to step up, and Barnes has done that. Like myself, he’s been in and out of the team, and getting that assist will do him the world of good.
“Playing against [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka is not easy because he’s probably one of the best one-on-one defenders around. But he’ll take a lot of confidence from that assist and his performance. Whoever plays on Sunday, I’m sure they’ll be ready.”
Trippier is one of the players who stands to benefit from the Magpies’ injury and suspension woes. Starts have been hard to come by for the former England man this season, but he was selected at right-back against West Ham, with Tino Livramento switching flanks to cover for Hall.
Harvey Barnes provided the assist for Bruno Guimaraes at the London Stadium (Image: Getty)
Trippier could therefore play a vital role at Wembley, and the value of his experience is not limited to the pitch.
“I’m one of the oldest in the squad,” he explained. “So my role is just to make sure everyone’s calm and relaxed. I’ve been making sure that everyone’s relaxed in the dressing room and at the training ground. We have to stay composed and just look at it as another game.”
players will need no reminding of the club’s 70-year silverware drought, and just how desperate the fans are for it to end. Trippier was amongst the starters when the Magpies came within one win of breaking their duck in the 2023 Carabao Cup final.
emerged 2-0 victors on that occasion. And while are an even tougher obstacle to overcome on paper, Trippier believes that themselves have toughened up in the two years since their Wembley near-miss.
He explained: “There was a lot of noise the first time we got to a final, but now the lads have experienced it and we know how to handle it. It’ll be a different feeling for everyone this time.
“For the Geordie lads, it meant so much to them personally because they’re from , their family and friends are from , and everyone was buzzing because it was the first final in so many years. The emotion was very, very high for a large part before the final, but this time around I think it’s more calm, more relaxed.”