Liverpool travel to Wembley to face Chelsea in the 2024 Carabao Cup final on Sunday, and Jurgen Klopp will have some huge decisions to make regarding his team selection. The Reds have been struck with a blight of injury issues in the past few weeks, culminating in over 10 first-team players being unavailable for the clash. In yesterday’s Cup final press conference, Pep Lijnders confirmed that Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai were not ruled out for the fixture, but there are significant doubts as to whether they will be able to feature. It is looking incredibly likely Liverpool will be without the trio for their trip to London, and it leaves their squad incredibly thin. Listed below is my predicted starting lineup, with my reasons behind each selection…
GK: CAOIMHIN KELLEHER
This is perhaps the most obvious decision with Alisson out injured, but Kelleher does operate as the domestic cup goalkeeper, so it is likely he would have started anyway. The Irishman was the hero in the 2022 Carabao Cup final, scoring his penalty and seeing Arrizabalaga fire his over the bar.
RB: CONOR BRADLEY
The 20-year-old has made himself undroppable in recent weeks, and has made himself a mainstay in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The full-back has one goal and three assists already for Liverpool this season, and will provide excellent competition for TAA in the coming years.
CB: VIRGIL VAN DIJK
Who else would it be? The captain has played the most minutes out of anybody this season, and is one of the best centre-backs in the world. The Dutchman has to step up and lead his team-mates this Sunday in the absence of so many senior players, and Klopp will be relying on him to do just that. His bullet header sparked the Reds incredible comeback win against Luton on Wednesday, and his leadership will be crucial for Liverpool on Sunday.
CB: IBRAHIMA KONATE
The Frenchman has really stepped it up this season, and is turning into the rolls-royce every Liverpool fan hoped he would be. His partnership with captain Virgil Van Dijk has been one of the main reasons for Liverpool’s success this season, and at only 24 years old, he can be Liverpool’s main man for years to come. His fitness issues, which have been so detrimental in recent years, seem to have improved this season, and he has already made 28 appearances before the end of February. Barring any last minute concerns, it is almost guaranteed he will start alongside Van Dijk at Wembley.
LB: JOE GOMEZ
This decision is perhaps the hardest out of the lot. Joe Gomez has surprised many this season, including Klopp I would imagine, with his performances from left-back. However, with Andrew Robertson fully fit again, it gives the manager a real conundrum. It would be incredibly harsh to drop Gomez after recent games, but the energy, tenacity and attacking qualities of Robertson cannot be ignored. A very difficult one but I would just edge it to Joe Gomez personally.
CM: ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER
The Argentinian had a seemingly slow start to life at Liverpool, playing out of position and adapting to Jurgen Klopp’s style of play. However, in recent games he has excelled, and the return of Wataru Endo has meant he can play in his preferred role in midfield. The 25-year-old has five goals and assists in the Premier League and is becoming one of Liverpool’s most important players. In the absence of Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, Liverpool’s engine will have to come from the World Cup winner and he will be crucial for Klopp’s men.
DM: WATARU ENDO
Similarly to MacAllister, a slow start to life at Liverpool left fans unsure as to Wataru Endo’s capability as a holding midfielder in the Premier League. Despite this, it is now impossible to not see the importance of Endo in this Liverpool team, and his absence during the Asian Cup highlighted this. The Japanese midfielder is now crucial to Klopp’s team, and although much of his work goes unnoticed, he has been getting his deserved plaudits in recent weeks. It is almost a guarantee that he will start at the base of Sunday’s midfield.
CM: RYAN GRAVENBERCH / HARVEY ELLIOTT
If Mohamed Salah is indeed unavailable, and Harvey Elliott is forced to start on the wing, it will be Ryan Gravenberch who will start alongside Alexis MacAllister in central midfield on Sunday. The Dutchman has received mixed reviews during his short time in England, but has shown glimpses of his qualities when he has been given the opportunity. Liverpool fans will be hoping he can step up and run the show against Chelsea on Sunday.
RW: HARVEY ELLIOTT / MOHAMED SALAH
The youngster has been exceptional this season, even while doing much of his work coming off of the bench. His 90th minute strike sealed a 4-1 win for Liverpool on Wednesday night, and he has more than earned his opportunity to start at Wembley. In the absence of Mohamed Salah, he will have to start in his perhaps less-favoured position of right wing, but Liverpool fans know he is more than capable of stepping up and making the difference.
ST: CODY GAKPO / DARWIN NUNEZ
Despite not having the season of his life, Cody Gakpo has still netted 11 goals and recorded four assists all while battling with Nunez and Jota for the striker spot. He offers a completely different threat to Nunez, what he lacks in pace and power he makes up for with quick feet, ruthlessness and elite ball retention. He will lead the line for Liverpool on Sunday, and for the Reds to win he must put in an excellent performance.
LW: LUIS DIAZ
As Liverpool’s only fit ‘first-choice’ attacker, the weight of Liverpool’s attack will rest immensely on Luis Diaz’ shoulders. Although his finishing has been called into question this season, the Colombian is one of FIVE Liverpool players to reach double digits for goals this season. A good performance from the winger will be crucial for a Liverpool victory this weekend.