Starting XI Special: How should Liverpool line up against Chelsea in the League Cup final?
By Adam Brown @AdamMNVi
Liverpool are finally back at Wembley and chasing a cup that could be the first of a quadruple is up for grabs.
The Reds have mainly opted for fringe players throughout this tournament with the likes of Tyler Morton playing a key role in the competition, though qualification hasn’t been easy with Leicester City providing the most difficult test – before they summoned a new nemesis in Diogo Jota.
But while it would be a nice story to see the XI filled with youth, it’s certain that those players would prefer the team that plays to be the one that boosts their chance of getting themselves a medal.
Here’s how we should lineup:
Caoimhin Kelleher has been a revelation throughout the tournament, and he is the first name on the team sheet as confirmed by Jurgen Klopp.
The only tough call here is who plays centre-back. There’s no doubt that Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold should start on the flanks with Virgil van Dijk in the middle, though a toss up between Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate looks most likely as the pair with the most appearances between them after Virgil.
Konate played against Leicester City, Matip played most minutes of the games against Arsenal. Konate? Matip? I’m not sure. But let’s not go down a path of relentless indecisiveness as if it was a conversation in the mind of Mark Corrigan during an episode of The Peep Show. We’ll go with Konate. No, actually, Matip – the same pair from the Champions League final.
Fabinho starts in the six behind Thiago. There’s no question about that, but the competition is fierce in the places ahead. Curtis Jones put in a good display against Leeds United and no one would be upset to see Harvey Elliott start, but some of Jordan Henderson’s passes in the last few games have been sensational. The captain starts in what will hopefully be a match that sets up a long overdue ‘Hendo shuffle’.
Roberto Firmino looks set to miss this one but there’s a chance Diogo Jota could feature. Diogo has been brilliant throughout this competition, but I think we should start with the same front three as we saw against Leeds. Sadio Mane has been a revelation centrally, while teams aren’t quite sure what to do with Diaz and Salah on the wings. Jota from the bench will be a dangerous tool for Klopp to use late-on if the game is close.
We can expect a tough game from Chelsea as always. We struggled to break them down earlier on in the season when Reece James was sent off at Anfield but it looks as though Liverpool are coming into their peak form of the season. I think we’ll edge this one with Luis Diaz getting on the scoresheet with a shot from outside of the box.
Score prediction: Liverpool 2 – 0 Chelsea
How does Chris think we will line up? Check out the starting XI prediction show below!
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