Martin Dubravka is a regular starter for Newcastle United, but it remains to be seen for how long.
The 36-year-old has started 14 out of the last 15 Newcastle United games, with Martin Dubravka getting a chance after Nick Pope suffered a knee injury.
Dubravka seized his opportunity, performing brilliantly in the absence of Pope. In fact, Dubravka played so well that Eddie Howe has retained him as his first choice stopper even after Pope’s return to fitness.
However, the Slovakian endured a tough afternoon on Saturday. He picked the ball out of his net four times, as Newcastle United lost 4-0 to Manchester City.
It was a shocking performance from the Magpies, with fans suddenly very concerned ahead of the looming Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Ben Foster delivers Newcastle United goalkeeper verdict ahead of Carabao Cup final
Cup final places are up for grabs, and it remains to be seen who will start in goal for Newcastle at Wembley.
Dubravka currently has the gloves, but there is every chance that Howe opts to recall Pope in the coming weeks.
That is what Ben Foster expects to happen, with the former England goalkeeper admitting on the Football Fill-In that Howe will want to put out his strongest XI in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
“When you are getting to a cup final, you want as full strength a team as you can possibly have,” he said.
“Having a Nick Pope behind you, somebody big and strong, especially when you’re playing against Liverpool – balls into the box, Mo Salah drifting these balls in to Virgil van Dijk – you want aerial prowess.
“Dubravka always does fantastic for Newcastle, but he’s never really been that solid and consistent number one goalkeeper. He gets in when there has been an injury. He might last half a dozen games, then start to tail off. That is the exact reason number two goalkeepers are number two goalkeepers. They have got all the capabilities, but might not have that longevity when it comes to actually playing on a Saturday afternoon.
“If they are going to be looking towards that cup final, it is going to be interesting to see if they put Nick Pope straight back in so he’s got a few games under his belt.
“This result is probably a bad one for Martin Dubravka.”
Who should start in goal for Newcastle United
There is healthy competition between Dubravka and Pope, and this is the first time that the former has started ahead of the latter for tactical reasons.
However, Foster makes a good point. Eddie Howe needs to deploy his strongest possible XI for the cup final, and I would argue that Pope is the superior stopper.
While Dubravka has done well during this run in the side, Pope is a better shot stopper and he is better at commanding his box. In defence of Dubravka, he is superior with regards to playing out from the back, which really helped Newcastle during their nine-game winning run.
However, Foster is right. Howe needs to bring Pope back into the starting XI, possibly as soon as Sunday against Nottingham Forest.
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