MatchChelsea v Liverpool: Carabao Cup final team news
Liverpool will be without eight players for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, while late decisions will be made on the fitness of Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are all ruled out of the Wembley clash due to injury.
That quartet join Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Joel Matip on the sidelines, and assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders confirmed on Friday that Nunez, Salah and Szoboszlai are being monitored ahead of the trip to the capital.
Lijnders told Liverpoolfc.com: “We come in a crazy schedule again, so we play every three days. It’s important for us to use each minute, use each day to really look how the players are. This is for Mo, Dom and Darwin.
“Two training sessions to go, let’s see how they are and then we can make a decision in the last minute.”
Lijnders added: “All the others, we know it’s longer. Ali has a muscle injury. Trent, LCL. Jota, medial ligament, MCL. Curtis [has] a high ankle sprain. They will be longer out.
“Curtis is probably the first one [to come back] around the international break. All the others will be after the international break.”
Asked if there were any knocks picked up in the 4-1 win over Luton Town on Wednesday, Lijnders replied: “So far I know not. All the boys had a day off yesterday but for us a day off means that they come in and they have treatment and, of course, we have to prepare for the final.
“But for the boys it’s proper recovery, so they all feel the necessity to use [it] in these moments where you play every three days and where certain boys have to play more because of the injuries.
“So, they are treating their body well, they are trying everything to be fresh, to be fit. But you know with our style, how we play, it’s important. You have to respect the recovery as much as you respect the performance.”
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Watch on YouTubeChelsea, meanwhile, could welcome back Thiago Silva for Sunday’s game, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirming on Friday that the Brazilian may be fit to play some part.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is also available having been sidelined recently due to injury.
“We need to assess a few players still to see if they can be involved on Sunday,” said Pochettino.
“We will know tomorrow if we can recover some players from injury. Thiago has a chance, tomorrow we will see if he is ready to be involved in the game.
“I have decided who will be the goalkeeper. 99 per cent of my team is in my head. I have not told the players yet because always anything can happen. So, I prefer to wait until tomorrow, or maybe after tomorrow.”
Chelsea will definitely be without captain Reece James, while Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marc Cucurella and Romeo Lavia are also ruled out.
Last match
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (February 17): Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell, Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher, Palmer, Sterling, Jackson.
Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town (February 21): Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Elliott, Diaz, Gakpo.
- Follow the Carabao Cup final with a free MyLFC account on LFCTV GO – including pre-match build-up from Wembley, live audio commentary of the game, a full match replay on Sunday evening, and more.
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