THE Carabao Cup final is set to have an astonishing number of star players missing.
Chelsea face Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 25; however, neither team will be at their strongest.
The Blues booked their spot in the final with a comprehensive two-legged win over Middlesborough in the semi-finals.
On the other hand, Liverpool edged past Fulham to have a chance at some silverware.
The Reds are in with a shout of winning a quadruple this season with the Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.
However, the final on Sunday will not see many of either club’s star players showcased.
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Chelsea
Chelsea are without a number of defensive players for the match against Liverpool.
Defenders Reece James, Benoit Badiashile and Marc Cucurella are all out of the final with long-term injuries.
Mauricio Pochettino also revealed that Thiago Silva picked up a “minor injury” before the 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
The manager added that the Brazilian will need to be “assessed” and could be a doubt.
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Chelsea will also be without Romeo Lavia who has struggled with injuries since his summer arrival from Southampton.
The midfielder is not training with the rest of the first team and Pochettino has ruled him out of the final.
Robert Sanchez is closing on a return for Chelsea having been out since December.
The goalkeeper is back in partial training with the team as he recovers from his knee injury.
Wesley Fofana will definitely be out the final as he is still recovering from a long-term knee injury.
Carney Chukwuemeka is a fresh doubt after he missed the draw with City after twisting his ankle in training last week.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp will be without some of his key players for the final against Chelsea.
The 4-1 win over Brentford on Saturday was marred by the triple withdrawal of Darwin Nunez, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.
Jota looked devastated as he was stretchered off the pitch and Klopp confirmed that he had suffered the “worst” injury of the three.
Curtis Jones was subbed off after getting a knock on his ankle during the game.
He was seen on crutches after full-time, and Klopp insisted that it was a “normal” procedure.
Nunez was taken off at half-time against the Bees and is now a doubt for the final.
Klopp has suggested that the attacker “felt a little” during the match so they decided to “push the brake” and get him off.
Alisson Becker‘s absence could be a massive blow for the Reds after he picked up a muscle injury before the Brentford match.
The extent of the goalkeeper’s injury is not yet known, and Caoimhin Kelleher could have to start in his place.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has been confirmed as an absentee for the final as he has a knee injury.
Klopp has also put doubt on Dominik Szoboszlai‘s appearance in the final as he has a hamstring problem.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
