Liverpool has had to quickly put the disappointment of its Champions League exit behind it, with Arne Slot eyeing up his first piece of silverware on Sunday.
The Reds' hopes of a treble may be over after that heart-breaking defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, but they can complete the first part of a double this weekend when they face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final. Slot will be hoping he gets the chance to make his way up the Wembley steps as a winner and get his hands on his first trophy, with the Premier League surely following soon.
The Liverpool boss has been handed a big blow ahead of Sunday though, with Trent Alexander-Arnold ruled out after picking up an injury against PSG. That will leave Slot with something of a headache as he works out how to patch up his defense, and it's not the only tricky decision he'll have to make this weekend.
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Ahead of Sunday's final, the cameras were present at the AXA Training Centre to capture Friday's training session as Liverpool's players stepped up their preparations. Here's what we spotted ahead of facing Newcastle at Wembley.
Konate boost
Ibrahima Konate certainly gave Liverpool a scare it could have done without when he limped off in extra time against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
With Alexander-Arnold ruled out of Sunday's final, the Reds was already looking light at the back before the prospect of another defender being missing could be taken into account. When you consider how important Konate is to this team, the thought of him being out as well would have been a bit of a nightmare for Slot to contend with.
Thankfully, any fears over Konate's fitness have been dispelled after he was pictured taking part in training on Friday.
It seems then that it was nothing more than fatigue or cramp that led to the Frenchman having to be withdrawn against PSG, and he should be good to go to take his usual spot alongside Virgil van Dijk at Wembley.
That just leaves the question of who to start at right-back to be answered. Jarell Quansah is surely the favorite at this stage, although Slot has suggested he has some other ideas up his sleeve.
Nunez all smiles
As frustrating as he can be at times, you couldn't help but feel sorry for Darwin Nunez on Tuesday. The guy just cannot catch a break, and his face after having his penalty saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma told you all you need to know about his current predicament.
It does feel somewhat inevitable that he'll be moved on in the summer, with Liverpool clearly needing an upgrade in the No.9 role. In that situation, you could understand if the Uruguayan wasn't in the best spirits during training.
Nunez though was seen smiling throughout Friday's session, suggesting he's been able to put the disappointment of that Champions League exit behind him. He'll surely have a part to play at Wembley, and hopefully he can get some redemption in helping Liverpool to some silverware.
Alisson or Kelleher
One of the biggest questions that went unanswered during Friday's press conference was who will be starting in goal on Sunday - not that Slot would have answered it anyway a couple of days before the game.
Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher will be aiming to don the gloves at Wembley, with both having played their part in the Carabao Cup this season. Slot did reveal though that the latter's inclusion in the first leg of the semi-final against Tottenham was a way to get more minutes into him after his return from injury.
That would seem to point toward Kelleher getting the nod at Wembley on Sunday, especially since he returned in goal for the second leg against Spurs. When silverware is on the line though, there is always going to be a temptation to go with your No.1.
There were no hints being offered in training, with both Alisson and Kelleher in the thick of the action, with Vitezslav Jaros also involved. We'll have to wait until Sunday then for our answer, with Slot facing a tricky call.
Gakpo's road to recovery
It's a welcome sight to see Cody Gakpo involved in training again following his recent injury. Liverpool hasn't quite carried the same threat without the Dutchman in the side recently, and once he's fully fit, he will surely be back in the starting line-up.
Whether that will be Sunday is questionable. Gakpo's cameo off the bench against PSG certainly didn't show him at his best, and he looked far from fully fit. It was perhaps a desperate throw of the dice from Slot to try and find a late winner.
He was in the thick of it in training on Friday, so hopefully it won't be too long before he's back to his best for the Reds, and hopefully - if he's needed - that might be at Wembley.
