Liverpool hand Chelsea late ‘Christmas’ gift ahead of Wembley final

Christmas comes late for Chelsea as Liverpool assistant manager, Pep Lijnders has confirmed the Reds’ injury woes will continue into the Carabao Cup final clash against the West-London side.

The Reds are set to be without a number of key names to their traditional lineup as goalkeeper, Alisson Becker is confirmed to be out till April at the latest, as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota who all picked up fitness issues in the run up to the Carabao Cup final versus Chelsea.

Although not a positive confirmation, Liverpool could potentially also be without Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez, and Mohamed Salah for the battle against Chelsea depending on the results from their next training.

Speaking to the press in the pre-match press conference, Pep Lijnders said;

“We’re closely monitoring the progress of Mo, Dom, and Darwin. With just two training sessions remaining, we’ll carefully evaluate their fitness levels and make a decision at the last minute,”

On the fitness of Alisson Becker and the sidelined crews, the assistant manager said;

“Ali is dealing with a muscle injury, Trent has a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) issue, and Jota is recovering from a medial ligament (MCL) injury. Curtis has been grappling with a high ankle sprain. They will require more time to recuperate,”

He further added,

“Curtis is likely to be the first one back, with his return expected around the international break. However, the others will need more time and are slated to return post-international break.”

The injury confirmation and results will come as a big boost for Chelsea if not a late Christmas gift of sorts as they march out to face a weakened Liverpool side in the Sunday affair.