A surprising number of star players will be absent from the Carabao Cup final.
Chelsea will face Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 25th. However, neither team is the strongest.
The Blues defeated Middlesboro in the semifinals with two legs, clinching a spot in the finals.
Liverpool, on the other hand, narrowly overtook Fulham and had a chance to win the silver medal.
The Reds are on track to win the Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League this season.
However, many of both clubs’ star players will not be on display in Sunday’s final.
chelsea
Chelsea will be without a number of defenders for the match against Liverpool.
defender Reece James, Benoit Badiashil and marc cucurella All of them missed the finals due to long-term injuries.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino also made the announcement. Thiago Silva He suffered a “minor injury” before the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
The coach added that the Brazilian needed to be “evaluated” and could be a doubt.
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Chelsea will also be absent. Romeo Lavia He has struggled with injuries since joining from Southampton in the summer.
The midfielder did not train with the rest of the first team and Pochettino excluded him from the final.
Robert Sanchez Chelsea are close to returning after being sidelined since December.
The goalkeeper has recovered from a knee injury and has returned to part-time training with the team.
Wesley Fofana He will not play in the finals as he is still recovering from a long-term knee injury.
Carney Chukwuemeka Fresh questions have arisen after he missed the draw with City last week after twisting his ankle in training.
liverpool
Manager Jurgen Klopp will be without some of his key players for the final against Chelsea.
Saturday’s 4-1 win over Brentford was marred by three player sending offs. darwin nunes, curtis jones and Diogo Jota.
Jota looked devastated as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher, with manager Klopp admitting he had suffered the “worst” injury of the three.
Curtis Jones hit his ankle during the game and was forced to leave the game.
He was seen on crutches after full-time, but Klopp insisted it was a “normal” procedure.
Nuñez was sent off at halftime against the Bees, leaving his ability to advance to the finals in doubt.
Klopp suggested the attacker was “feeling it a bit” during the match and decided to “hit the brakes” and take him off.
Alison BeckerHis absence could be a big blow for the Reds as he picked up a muscular injury before the game against Brentford.
The extent of the goalkeeper’s injury is still unknown, with Caoich Kelleher likely to start in his place.
Trent Alexander-Arnold He will be absent from the final due to a knee injury.
Manager Klopp also has doubts. Dominik SzoboszlaiHe was unable to participate in the final due to a hamstring problem.