Chelsea’s attention now turns to the Carabao Cup final, as Thomas Tuchel’s men take on Liverpool at Wembley in the hope of adding more silverware to their trophy cabinet.
The Blues go into Sunday’s high octane clash with significant confidence, following the club’s 2-0 victory in the Champions League round of 16, first leg tie against Lille.
Both Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic added their names on the scoresheet, ensuring that the west Londoner now have a healthy lead going into the return fixture next month.
Meanwhile, their opponents Liverpool have been in scintillating form and are currently on a nine-game winning streak, with Jurgen Klopp side’s latest victory coming against Leeds at Anfield in what a devastating 6-0 drubbing.
Certainly, there are many individuals Chelsea will have to be wary of, one of whom is new signing Luis Diaz.
Signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £50million including potential bonuses, the Colombian forward has slotted into Klopp’s system swimmingly.
Pace, directness, trickery and the ability to create separation from his marker from a standing start are just a few of the 25-year-old’s standout qualities, so whoever Tuchel decides to start at right-back will need to be in top form should Diaz start on Sunday.
The likes of Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane are obvious dangers, but the aerial threat that both Joel Matip and Virgil Van Dijk offer from set-pieces is another aspect that Chelsea will need to handle.
In terms of the latest news surrounding injuries, Tuchel has delivered a very promising update, stating that everyone has participated in the club’s latest training session, barring Ben Chilwell.
“We had training today with everyone on the pitch except for Ben Chilwell, which is brilliant news. This is pretty much it. Both [Kovacic and Ziyech] ok since today.” Tuchel said in his latest press conference.
Right-back Reece James therefore could be set to feature after a lengthy spell out on the sidelines, with Tuchel saying that the 22-year-old has been “brilliant in the last two training sessions”.
However, late on Saturday reports emerged that Andreas Christensen would be forced to miss the clash at Wembley with a slight injury to his Achilles.
With all the injury news taken into account ahead of the final, football.london takes a look at the full squad Tuchel has to choose from as he looks to add more silverware to the clubs.
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli.
Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Malang Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Marcos Alonso, Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Kenedy.
Midfielders: Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Saul Niguez, Jorginho, Ross Barkley.
Forwards: Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner.
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