| Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Date: Sunday, 12 March Kick-off: 15:00 GMT |
| Coverage: Live text commentary and report on the BBC Sport website |
The second domestic honour of the season is on offer on Sunday as Linfield face Coleraine in the BetMcLean Cup final at Windsor Park.
The Blues have not won the League Cup since 2019 and will be looking to get their hands on the trophy for the 11th time in their history.
Coleraine are no strangers to appearances in this showpiece decider, having reached their third successive final. They will be aiming to exorcize the demons of last year when they fell to a dramatic defeat by Cliftonville.
The 2022 final was a notable one as it was the first to be played on a Sunday and in front of a record crowd, which NIFL hope will be surpassed this year.
How they got there
Linfield had a kind draw in the early rounds of the League Cup, not facing a fellow Premiership outfit until the semi-final stage.
They dispatched Intermediate side Moyola Park 5-1 in round one before overcoming Championship outfit Dundela through a Robbie McDaid strike in the second round. .
A 3-0 victory over second-tier side Annagh United in the quarter finals set up a Big Two derby in the last four with Glentoran at the Oval.
The Blues produced one their best performances of the season in that game, with goals Sam Roscoe, Eetu Vertainen and Cammy Palmer helping them to a 3-0 victory and a first final in four years.
Coleraine meanwhile, breezed past Championship strugglers Dergview in the first round before facing three Premiership sides on their way to the decider.
They secured a narrow derby win over Ballymena United in the second round courtesy of a late goal from Conor McKendry to cap off Oran Kearney’s 500th game in management with a victory.
Then came a comfortable 3-0 victory against Dungannon Swifts in the quarter finals at the Coleraine Showgrounds to set up another battle with Cliftonville in the last four.
The Bannsiders managed to enact some revenge over the Reds in early December at Solitude, triumphing 5-4 in a penalty shootoot after the game ended 2-2.
What the managers say
Coleraine boss Oran Kearney is pleased to have some key men available, including Conor McKendry and Jamie Glackin – the latter able to play as the club appealed his 10-game suspension – as he believes it will be a whole squad effort to get the Bannsiders over the line on Sunday.
“Finals don’t come around too often so it deserves to be a special day. It’s nice to be in a position where I can be a manager again and I can make decisions on team selection.
“We unfortunately lose Andy Scott and Eamon Fyfe as they are cup tied but Jamie will be available, his hearing will be coming in the next couple of weeks.”
Blues boss David Healy, who has won every domestic trophy on offer in Northern Ireland is hopeful that his side can rise to and enjoy the occasion.
“Its a cup final, we need to perform. We need to embrace and enjoy this cup final as you never know when it could be your last.
“We played Coleraine a few weeks ago and I thought we did okay, but that won’t be taken into account for Sunday. We are expecting a tough game, they have a good cup pedigree and they will be expecting to win.”
Key players
With opportunities set to be at a premium, both clubs’ leading marksmen will be tasked with being clinical when the chances do arrive.
Coleraine and Linfield will be feeling confident that their strikers can deliver as in Matthew Shevlin and Eetu Vertainen currently sit first and second in the goal scoring charts this season.
The former has been ruthless in front of goal this year, netting 21 times this season, with four of those coming in Coleraine’s cup run.
The 24-year old will want to come away from this final with a winner’s medal as well as a goal scoring contribution after the disappointment of last year.
Finnish striker Vertainen has found the the net on 17 occasions, and did score against Glentoran in the semi-final of this competition.
He will want to respond to recent criticism that he doesn’t score enough goals against sides in the top six with a big performance on Sunday.
Their last finals
After winning in 2021, the Bannsiders were back in last year’s final with Cliftonville and led 2-0 with 15 minutes remaining after a quickfire double from Matthew Shevlin and Stephen Lowry.
Yet, the Reds would fight back to score two late goals through substitutes Joe Gormley and Paul O’Neill.
The duo would then strike twice more in extra time, with Curtis Allen pulling a late goal back, but it was too little too late for the Bannsiders as they fell to a 4-3 loss in one of the most thrilling finals in the competition’s history.
Linfield’s last final appearance came in 2019 and wasn’t quite as exciting as the Bannsiders’ last outing.
Andy Waterworth scored a first-half winner as the Blues defeated David Jeffrey’s Ballymena United 1-0 in the decider.
Recent meetings between Linfield and Coleraine however, suggest we won’t be in for a repeat of last year’s pulsating final.
It is more likely to be a tense battle, as two of the three games this season have ended goalless. Linfield won the other game 2-0 in the dress rehearsal for this final in late February.
