Liverpool and Man Utd receive good & bad news ahead of Newcastle clashes & £70m man gets lucky

Liverpool will be without centre-back Ibrahima Konate for next weekend's trip to St James' Park following a hamstring injury, with the game also set to come too soon for Luis Diaz.

It's not all bad news for Jurgen Klopp, however, as the Reds boss is hoping to have Virgil Van Dijk, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino back in full training this week.

As for Manchester United, who we'll face at Wembley in a fortnight's time, they will be without Christian Eriksen but WILL have Casemiro back for the Carabao Cup final following his red card in a recent 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The £70m Brazilian has quickly become their most influential player, with his absence felt in their 2-2 draw with Leeds last night. Had the Red Devils appealed, he risked missing four games. However, they have decided against an appeal, meaning his first domestic game back will be when the two sides meet in the capital two weeks on Sunday.

Although we are facing issues of our own - Bruno is still suspended for our next two league games - Liverpool and Man Utd will be weakened without the likes of Konate and Eriksen, with it not yet clear if Van Dijk, Jota or Firmino will be match fit to feature next Saturday.

As for Manchester United, they have a hectic schedule over the coming weeks. Not only did they play their third game in seven days last night, they have FOUR games between now and Wembley - two of those being a Europa League double header with Barcelona just a few days before the final.