Chelsea and Liverpool come together once again at Wembley Stadium on February 25. This time, they face off in the Carabao Cup final.
Jurgen Klopp's Reds met Chelsea twice at the 'The Home of Football' in major domestic finals in 2022. Liverpool came out on top in the EFL Cup final after a thrilling penalty shootout ended 11-10 following a goalless draw. Then, in the FA Cup, another shootout went the way of the Merseysiders after the game finished 0-0 again.
Wembley can be considered a former home to Mauricio Pochettino as he managed Tottenham Hotspur there during the 2017/18 season, as the North London side had their new stadium built. On his return, he will have the chance to win a trophy in English football for the first time, having been a beaten finalist in this competition with Spurs in 2015.
The EFL Cup, known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is generally considered the lesser of English football's major three trophies (the others being the Premier League and FA Cup), but it still represents an important piece of silverware.
The Sporting News takes a look at the injury news ahead of the match and who could be selected in the starting XIs for the final, with Liverpool in particular suffering from a recent injury crisis.
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For Chelsea, Wes Fofana, Reece James and Marc Cucurella miss out as they deal with long-term injury setbacks.
Pochettino decided against restoring fit-again Robert Sanchez to the lineup, with Djordje Petkovic retained after impressing between the posts since the Spaniard's injury.
Thiago Silva is not even in the matchday squad.
Chelsea lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell — Fernandez,
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