Newcastle United players have been really impressed with Loris Karius in training this week as he prepares to start against Manchester United.
That’s according to The Chronicle, who claim that Karius has enjoyed a strong week of training ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
Nick Pope’s red card against Liverpool last week and the fact that Martin Dubravka is cup-tied mean Karius is set to start.
Immediately after Pope’s sending off last weekend, Eddie Howe told Karius to prepare mentally for this game.
Teammates have allegedly been ‘impressed’ with Karius this week and seemingly believe he is ready for an enormous clash.
That’s a real vote of confidence for Karius, who may need it after a difficult few years.
Loris Karius can change his reputation for Newcastle United
Much has been made of Karius potentially starting in this game.
We haven’t seen Karius play for an English club since the Champions League final back in 2018.
Karius famously dropped two clangers in that game, throwing the ball straight to Karim Benzema and also fumbling a Gareth Bale shot into the net.
The German stopper became a global laughing stock and his career took a real dip after that, spending time with Besiktas and Union Berlin without ever really getting back to his best.
Now 29, Karius has been playing as cover for Newcastle’s goalkeepers and a bizarre set of circumstances mean he is now set for another final appearance.
A strong performance at Wembley today would see the narrative on Karius change somewhat and exorcise the demons from that night in Kyiv nearly five years ago.
Newcastle players seem confident that Karius can step up to the occasion and prove to be an able deputy for Pope.
This promises to be a huge day for Karius and Newcastle, with glory for both potentially just 90 minutes away.
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