Nunez, Salah & Szoboszlai Injury Latest Ahead of EFL Cup Final 

Prior to the Reds’ matchup with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders provided a massive injury update.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are in less-than-ideal shape fitness wise heading into the showpiece game at Wembley. It’s been confirmed that Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota will all miss the fixture due to injury, as will longer-term absentees Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Joel Matip. However, Lijnders has revealed that he is still holding out hope that Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai can feature in some capacity.

READ ALSO: Heavy Blow For Liverpool! Two Senior Players OUT of Carabao Cup Final

“We come in a crazy schedule again, so we play every three days. It’s important for us to use each minute, use each day to really look how the players are. This is for Mo, Dom and Darwin Nunez,” he told the club’s official website.

“Two training sessions to go, let’s see how they are and then we can make a decision in the last minute. “And all the others, we know it’s longer. Ali has a muscle injury. Trent, LCL. Jota, medial ligament, MCL. Curtis [has] a high ankle sprain. They will be longer out. “Curtis is probably the first one [to come back] around the international break. All the others will be after the international break.”

In response to a question on any more injuries sustained during a midweek victory over Luton Town, he said: “So far I know not. All the boys had a day off yesterday but for us a day off means that they come in and they have treatment and, of course, we have to prepare the final.

“But for the boys it’s proper recovery, so they all feel the necessity to use [it] in these moments where you play every three days and where certain boys have to play more because of the injuries. So, they are treating their body well, they are trying everything to be fresh, to be fit. But you know with our style, how we play, it’s important. You have to respect the recovery as much as you respect the performance.”

Nunez, Salah, and Szoboszlai were all absent from the 4-1 victory over the Hatters as the Reds overcame a goal deficit. Liverpool will be especially driven to compete this season on all fronts because Klopp is expected to leave Anfield at the conclusion of the season. They have the opportunity to win their first trophy of the year on Sunday.

The two teams will face off in their third League Cup final this coming Saturday. In 2005, Steven Gerrard scored an own goal to help Chelsea win 3-2 in extra time. More recently, Liverpool prevailed in the 2022 championship game, winning in a tight penalty shootout following an uneventful 120 minutes.

The games for Klopp’s team continue to come thick and fast after their match against Chelsea. They play Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round the following Wednesday, while the following weekend they go to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. The Reds will be crossing their fingers that a few of their injury concerns resolve in time.