Liverpool got past a resilient Aston Villa side on Tuesday night and this was the perfect result before they head to London for the FA Cup final.
The Anfield outfit visit Wembley on Saturday for the final against Chelsea and are without a doubt they are the favourites to lift the trophy. The Premier League title might have slipped out of their hands but if Liverpool can beat the Blues this weekend then they will at least have a chance of winning a treble this season.
Liverpool are undefeated in their previous five games across all competitions and on top of that, they have won their last five FA Cup matches as well. Jurgen Klopp rested some key players against Aston Villa so his big stars will be fully energized for Saturday’s clash.
Klopp’s Liverpool have managed to dominate almost every team but quite surprisingly, the German hasn’t managed to beat Thomas Tuchel in regular time across their last five meetings. They had to head to penalties in the Carabao Cup final to be able to beat Chelsea so the Anfield outfit will definitely have to be on their toes from the very first minute.
Liverpool team news against Chelsea for the FA Cup final:
Joel Matip and Van Dijk have been the main centre-back pairing for Liverpool in domestic matches so they will take the field this weekend as well.
Klopp had a chance to rest Andy Robertson on Tuesday night as Tsimikas played at left-back so the Scottish international now comes back into the first XI.
Midfielders Jordan Henderson and Thiago were also on the bench for the Aston Villa game meaning they too will come back into the side but Jurgen Klopp will be without Fabinho.
The Brazilian picked up a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win and as per the latest reports, he will be an absentee for the FA Cup final.
Klopp had claimed that the extent of the injury is not yet known but the media buzz in England is that Fabinho will not be fit in time.
The Liverpool manager had said after the match: “I don’t know [how bad it is]. He felt the muscle, not too much. He is quite positive but I’m not sure what I can make of that, to be honest. We will see.”
With Fabinho missing out, Henderson will slot into the defensive midfielder’s role with Naby Keita and Thiago playing in the more advanced roles.
Mo Salah came off the bench at Villa Park but the Egyptian will come back into the starting XI which means Diogo Jota will have to make way. Luis Diaz has been in top-quality form since joining Liverpool so he will play on the left flank while Mane plays through the middle.
Last five meetings between Liverpool and Chelsea:
EFL Cup – Feb, 2022 – Chelsea 10-11 Liverpool
PL – Jan 2022 – Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool
PL – Aug 2021 – Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
PL – March 2021 – Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea
PL – Sep 2020 – Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool
How to watch the Chelsea vs Liverpool game?
The game will be played at the Wembley Stadium and will kick off on 14th May 2022 at 16:45 BST.
Here’s how you can watch the final:
UK: BBC Sport Web, BBC iPlayer, UTV, STV Scotland, BBC One, ITV 1 UK, The ITV Hub, STV Player, TalkSport Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live
USA: SiriusXM FC, ESPN+
