Liverpool play Chelsea in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley and both sides will be without many key players through injury.
The Reds have been excellent this season and remain on course to complete a stunning quadruple ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the season. They top the Premier League table.
Liverpool face a Chelsea side in improved recent form but will still start firm favourites. The Blues are unbeaten in their past three matches, having beaten Aston Villa and Crystal Palace while drawing with Manchester City on Sunday.
But Liverpool could be without as many as eight players for Sunday’s blockbuster clash.
The Merseyside giants are already without Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip and Ben Doak with long-term injuries. But Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones have both been ruled out of the match following scans at their training ground in Kirkby.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will also miss the showdown, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Alisson are major doubts due to hamstring issues.
There are also worries over Darwin Nunez, too, after the Uruguay international was forced off in the 4-1 win over Brentford on Saturday.
Liverpool beat Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup in 2022. After no goals in normal or extra-time, in the penalty shootout, the first 21 kicks were converted.
However, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga then missed. Liverpool won the shootout 11-10. They also beat the Blues in the final of the FA Cup that year, too, with penalties again needed to separate them.
Resurgent Chelsea are upbeat having eased the pressure on under-fire head coach Mauricio Pochettino recently. Such a string of positive performances has given fans renewed hope ahead of the final, though Pochettino hopes his list of absentees dwindles quickly.
They include veteran defender Thiago Silva, captain Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka and Wesley Fofana.
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