Liverpool have really been hit hard by injuries to star players in recent weeks, and among those who missed out on last night’s 4-1 win over Luton Town were Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold and starting shot stopper Alisson Becker.
Meanwhile Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Joel Matip remain out as long-term injury absentees.
EFL Cup Final FYIs
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Kick: Sun. Feb. 25, 3pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea Liverpool
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Liverpool
Broadcast: ESPN+ (US), Sky Sports (UK) DAZN (CAN)
Reds Team News
It will be interesting to see what kind of squad manager Jurgen Klopp has to work with on Sunday, for the EFL Cup Final. He said the following on the topic of Alexander-Arnold and Szobo yesterday:
All the little bit longer-term like Trent and Dom, they are on their way back but not in team training yet, so that means they are not available as well.
Earlier in the week, he said that TAA would likely not be back until after the cup clash at the national stadium.
Of Nunez, Klopp said this past weekend: “Darwin, we took off because he felt really a little, but that was obviously today enough to immediately push the brake, and that’s what we did, so we took him off.”
It looks like Szoboszlai and Salah are the only two who stand a chance of coming off the injured list for Sunday. The Egyptian superstar is day by day,
“It is day by day as well with Mo,” the German said.
“It’s a similar area where he feels it [fatigue] a little bit. We have to see how it develops. It’s nothing crazy, but we have to see.”
We’ll be back with an update on all this, and/or a proper Team News article as the match draws closer
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.