MARTIN DUBRAVKA admits the Newcastle United dressing room is devastated for Nick Pope as he faces up to the painful reality of missing out on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Pope should have been spending this week preparing for the biggest game of his career, but instead, he will be tasked with the job of supporting Loris Karius as Newcastle’s third-choice goalkeeper readies himself to start against Manchester United.

Dubravka came off the bench to replace Pope after he was dismissed for handling outside his area in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, and as part of the goalkeeping union, the Slovakian feels desperately sorry for his fellow shot-stopper.

“It's the worst timing that it could be, but that's football,” said Dubravka. “It's like the script from a movie, so incredible. But now we want a happy ending.

“It’s so devastating for Nick, who has been playing so well and deserved to play in the club's first final for so long. We all feel for him, but what can you say to him? It's such a sad situation.”

Had things panned out differently in the first half of the season, Dubravka might have found himself preparing to line up at Wembley. Instead, he is cup-tied after playing in Manchester United’s victories over Burnley and Aston Villa in the early rounds of this season’s League Cup.

As a result, Newcastle’s number two finds himself in the bizarre position where he will only be eligible for a winner’s medal if Manchester United triumph this weekend, but he is adamant there is no question of him having split loyalties come Sunday.

“I played two games for Manchester United, so I knew that I can't play in the final or be there for the players,” said Dubravka. “It’s a very strange situation for me as well, but that sometimes happens and hopefully it's up to someone else to show they can play in front of 90,000 people.

“It will be very difficult to watch this game. I’ve been asked about it a lot, but of course I want Newcastle to win because I’ve spent so many years here and I’m very grateful for the chance the club gave me in English football. You don’t need to ask me that.”

Loris Karius is set to step into the breach in Newcastle’s first major final for 24 years, and having trained alongside the German, Dubravka is confident he can cope with the responsibility.

“He’s not played much football, but he’s a very experienced player who looks good in training,” he said. “As a group of keepers, we’re all very close to each other, we support each other, so I don’t think that this is going to be a problem.

“It’s a special game of course, a huge game for Newcastle. After so many years, we’re very close to achieving something big. It’s up to us now to help him as much as we can, to help him be prepared for this game. I’m sure he’ll handle the game well.”