Chelsea vs Liverpool: Latest team news and predicted line-ups for Carabao Cup final

The countdown is on for the first piece of silverware of the 2023/24 season in England – with Chelsea and Liverpool set to once again go head-to-head in the Carabao Cup final.

Both sides reached Wembley two years ago and it was the Reds who emerged triumphant on that occasion after a penalty shootout.

Fast forward to this term and Chelsea have a new boss in Mauricio Pochettino, while Liverpool are also on the lookout for a new head coach after Jurgen Klopp opted to announce his intention to step down at the end of the campaign.

While the Reds still have another game to play before heading to Wembley, with a home Premier League clash with Luton on Wednesday, team news is already filtering through as they battle with injuries and Chelsea try to find the right combination after an inconsistent season so far.

Here’s all the latest line-up news and our predicted XIs for the Carabao Cup final – updated each day throughout the week.

Confirmed team news and latest predicted lineups:

Long-term absentees Wes Fofana, Reece James and Marc Cucurella are all definitely out for the Blues, while the Reds are certainly without Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota at a minimum.

Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Enzo, Caicedo, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Jackson

Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Nunez, Diaz

Diogo Jota (r) and Benoit Badiashile (l) will both miss the Carabao Cup final (Getty Images)

Monday – Reds face concerns after three weekend injuries:

Liverpool lost Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota to injury in the first half against Brentford on Saturday, while Darwin Nunez was subbed at half-time as a precaution. While there are fewer fears over the striker, Jota is expected to miss at least eight weeks with a knee injury and Jones is almost certainly ruled out of the final after injury at the top of his ankle.

Alisson Becker also missed the Brentford match after injuring his hamstring, but would not have started the final in any case as Caoimhin Kelleher is the Reds’ Carabao Cup keeper.

Joel Matip is on the long-term injury list, so too Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara, while before the weekend Klopp explained Trent Alexander-Arnold will not recover in time for the final and Dominik Szoboszlai will face a late fitness test.

As for Chelsea, their long-term injury list is unchanged with Reece James, Wes Fofana and Marc Cucurella all out for the foreseeable future. Romeo Lavia is back in training, but there is no update yet on Thiago Silva while Carney Chukwuemeka has an ankle injury and Benoit Badiashile is out until March.

Robert Sanchez has returned however and will be available if chosen ahead of Djordje Petrovic in goal.

From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.