Football News: Liverpool Trio Doubtful for EFL Cup Final Against Chelsea
Ahead of the highly anticipated EFL Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea on Sunday, Reds assistant manager Pep Lijnders has provided updates on the fitness of key players Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Dominik Szoboszlai.
None of the trio was able to feature in Liverpool’s 4-1 Premier League victory over Luton Town on Wednesday, as Salah and Nunez missed out due to the issues they sustained against Brentford the previous weekend. Meanwhile, Szoboszlai has now sat out the Reds’ last four fixtures with a hamstring problem, which he picked up prior to the 3-1 loss to Arsenal on February 4.
Although Jurgen Klopp had earlier this month revealed that Szoboszlai could be in line for a return at Wembley, Lijnders has not ruled out any of the three players for the impending clash with the Blues.
However, Liverpool’s eight long-term injury victims, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Diogo Jota, remain out of contention.
Lijnders confirmed that Jones could potentially return to action before the March international break, while the Reds’ other seven confirmed absentees will take longer to recover.
Liverpool will be aiming to extend their record-breaking 14th EFL Cup final appearance, having won the trophy nine times – more than any other team in the history of the tournament. The Reds also bested Chelsea on penalties in the 2021-22 EFL Cup final before going on to lift the FA Cup crown later that season.
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