Liverpool injury news keeps getting worse ahead of their Carabao Cup final match vs Chelsea, but GIVEMESPORT has predicted a starting XI for the game.
The first major piece of silverware in the English footballing calendar will be up for grabs soon. Indeed, on 25 February, Liverpool and Chelsea will meet at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final.
Incidentally, the two teams met in the 2022 final, with the Reds ultimately winning 11–10 on penalties after the first 90 minutes as well as extra time ended all square at 0-0. Neutrals will be hoping for a bit more action this time around but uncertainty hangs in the air ahead of the fixture.
This is because Liverpool currently have a number of first-team injuries to contend with, which could hamper Jurgen Klopp’s chances of lifting the League Cup in his final season in charge of the club. With that being the case, GIVEMESPORT has used the latest fitness news for the Reds to predict their starting XI vs Chelsea at Wembley.
Goalkeeper:
Caoimhin Kelleher
Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher
In goal, it seems all but certain that Caoimhin Kelleher will start against the Blues. Alisson Becker has missed the last two Premier League games with a hamstring injury, and isn’t expected to have any chance of returning in time for the cup final.
Kelleher has failed to keep a clean sheet in those two recent league matches, but Klopp’s men still got all three points. The Irishman has played 14 times in total this term, keeping two clean sheets and conceding 17 goals. Interestingly, his average WhoScored match rating in the league is 6.67, which is marginally better than Alisson’s 6.65 (albeit from 17 fewer appearances).
Defence:
Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley
With Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold looking pretty certain to miss this trip to Wembley, Klopp won’t be able to name his strongest back four but that doesn’t mean the side will be looking weak. Most notably, Conor Bradley has stepped up magnificently when called upon.
He’s played three times in the Premier League, picking up one goal and three assists. This is enough to give him the best average WhoScored match rating in the squad at 7.99 – although he has the seventh-lowest number of minutes of the 28 players to feature in the league this term.
Joe Gomez has been used at fullback this term, but with Andy Robertson now fit, the left-back should get the nod. Matip is also out, so the rest of the defence should pick itself. Indeed, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are the undoubted first-choice centre-back partnership.
Midfield:
Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott
With Thiago perpetually on the injury table, Dominik Szoboszlai a major doubt due to his hamstring injury, and Curtis Jones picking up an injury against Brentford, Klopp doesn’t have too many options available to him in the middle of the park. Wataru Endo was picked up as a stop-gap signing towards the end of the summer window, and that business is looking vitally important now – having played 26 times in all competitions this term, providing crucial depth.
Endo will likely sit at the base of midfield, and so Alexis Mac Allister will be asked to play slightly ahead of him. The Argentine arrived in the summer and usually keeps things ticking over in the middle of the park – making an average of 57.1 passes per game (the highest of any midfield player for the Reds) – while also adding some threat in the final third, as seen by his fine effort against Brentford.
Providing Jones can’t get himself fit to start, it will be a toss-up between Harvey Elliott or Ryan Gravenberch starting. With Endo sitting deep, Mac Allister is likely to start slightly to the left. As you can see on Gravenberch’s SofaScore heat map, he prefers to drift to the left, so it makes sense to start Elliott. The Englishman is more suited to play towards the right of midfield, cutting in on his left foot and linking up with Mohamed Salah.
Attack:
Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring for Liverpool
The best news for Liverpool is that not only was Salah fit enough to return to action against Brentford, but he also got up to speed right away. The Egyptian, who picked up a muscle injury at AFCON, came off the bench against the Bees and scored as well as got an assist in the 4-1 win. He’ll almost certainly start this game.
Luis Diaz has been trusted regularly by Klopp of late too, starting the last six Premier League games in a row – grabbing five goal contributions in this period (two goals and three assists). With Diogo Jota suffering a bad recent injury, it feels as though Diaz will be named as the second attacking player, alongside Salah, but there is less certainty about the final spot down the middle.
Cody Gakpo certainly isn’t a bad option to have but Darwin Nunez has been in such good form – netting a beautiful chip against the Bees – Klopp may be tempted to get him into the team, even if it’s a slight risk. The Uruguayan was subbed off early in that same game as a precaution. With 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, he’ll surely get the nod so long as he’s fit.
