Loris Karius can be Newcastle’s hero if he emulates Toon teammate

Add as preferred source on Google

In a dramatic turn of events, it looks like Loris Karius will be making his Newcastle United debut at Wembley.

The German goalkeeper is in line to replace Nick Pope, who will now be suspended for the Carabao Cup final. He was sent off in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, meaning he is unavailable for the game against Manchester United.

It is a crushing blow for Pope, who has been exceptional this season. And it is a blow to the team too, with Eddie Howe set to be forced to put out a weaker side for the club’s biggest game in years.

To make things even more dramatic, second choice stopper Martin Dubravka is cup-tied after playing for Man United earlier in the competition. Meanwhile, other backup stopper Karl Darlow was allowed to join Hull City on transfer deadline day.

It leaves Howe with a choice to make. He either goes with the former Liverpool stopper who hasn’t played a competitive game since February 2021, or with local lad Mark Gillespie.

Karius looks like the favourite to get the nod, with a Newcastle United debut now looming on the biggest stage.

Loris Karius not the only goalkeeper to make his Newcastle debut vs Man United

If it is Karius who is selected, he will be able to take motivation from one of his Newcastle United teammates.

Martin Dubravka also made his Toon debut in a game against Manchester United. The date was February 11th 2018, when Rafa Benitez immediately thrust the Slovakian into the starting XI.

He was relatively unknown, but everyone was chanting the name ‘Martin Dubravka’ by the time the final whistle sounded. The goalkeeper was absolutely incredible, making save after save to deny the Red Devils.

Dubravka won the Player Of The Match award on his debut, as the Magpies picked up a famous win against Manchester United thanks to Matt Ritchie’s winner. But Dubravka was the real-match winner, as he kept the likes of Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez at bay.

It was a remarkable performance from Dubravka. His manager Benitez said he was ‘fantastic‘, while Toon legend Alan Shearer was also hugely impressed. He described one of Dubravka’s saves as ‘incredible‘.

If Karius can emulate that performance when he makes his Newcastle debut against Manchester United then we will be in very safe hands.

Toon fans are ready to get behind the 29-year-old, and will be roaring him on when he walks out at Wembley this weekend.