Chelsea hopeful of late injury boost ahead of Liverpool showdown

Chelsea could receive a major boost ahead of the Carabao Cup final with Liverpool as veteran defender Thiago Silva looks set to be available after recovering from a groin problem.

The injury saw the 39-year-old Brazilian centre-back go off after 61 minutes in the Blues' 3-1 win over Crystal Palace early last week.

However, speaking during his press conference to preview Sunday's showpiece game, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino confirmed: "Yes, he has a chance."

"Tomorrow, we will see if he is ready to be involved in the game."

If the former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain captain starts the game, he'll likely be partnered either by Frenchman Axel Disasi or the Liverpool-linked Levi Colwill.

Injuries aplenty

Like Liverpool, Chelsea find themselves short of options with a whole host of injuries affecting their squad.

If Thiago Silva doesn't pass a late fitness test, the West Londoners could be without eight first-team players for the short trip across London to Wembley.

While left-back Marc Cucurella is set to rejoin partial team training, it seems his recovery won't be complete in time for the cup final. However, a place on the bench could be a possibility.

Elsewhere, captain Reece James will miss the game, as will French centre-backs Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana.

These three, along with young midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu, are still undergoing rehabilitation programmes.

That said, left-back Ben Chilwell and forward Christopher Nkunku have fully recovered and are expected to feature at Wembley.

Late fitness checks for the Reds

For Jurgen Klopp's team, meanwhile, uncertainties persist regarding the availability of key players such as Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai, all of whom face a race against time to prove their fitness.

Meanwhile, Diogo Jota, Alisson, Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been definitely ruled out.