Paul Merson believes injury-ridden Liverpool could lose the Carabao Cup final, losing the midfield battle without Curtis Jones
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson backs Chelsea over injury-ridden Liverpool while highlighting the loss of Curtis Jones in midfield. Curtis suffered a high ankle sprain against Brentford in the Premier League 1-4 away win on the 17th of February.
The 23-year-old is one of the many important senior team players who are out for a long period. The injury crisis threatens Liverpool’s current season as they are at the top of the Premier League table for now. The Reds have also successfully progressed in every cup competition as they play Chelsea next in the Carabao Cup finals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, and Joel Matip are the other long-term absentees. Furthermore, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah are under observation and unlikely to start against Chelsea on Sunday.
Merson used his Sky Sports column to highlight that Chelsea are the favourite to beat Liverpool due to the injuries. He said:
“It all depends on who is fit for Liverpool – if Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez are fit, it is a different story. If they aren’t fit, I think it is a heads-or-tails football match.
The former Arsenal player added that the absence of Jones gives Chelsea a massive edge to win the midfield battle. He added:
“Three or four weeks ago, you are thinking Chelsea don’t have much chance after being blown away at Anfield. Now all of a sudden, Chelsea are playing half-decent at the right time. Second half at Palace, they did well and at Man City the other day. For me, they are just playing well at the right time and I think they have a good balance. Now Curtis Jones isn’t fit, I think Chelsea win that midfield battle.”
The difference in Alexis Mac Allister's performances for Liverpool with and without Endo pic.twitter.com/kUTMmp4tMm
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2024
Chelsea are heading into the Carabao Cup finals as favourite due to the injury crisis at Liverpool. However, the Reds have shown their strong mentality against Brentford and Luton Town, backing the available players.
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Despite the heavy loss of Curtis, Liverpool have Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch to deliver. The partnership of Mac Allister and Endo has been very dominant while Gravenberch has started to deliver more consistently.
Liverpool also possesses capable youngsters like Bobby Clark and Harvey Elliott to congest the spaces in midfield. The Reds have a daunting battle ahead and they will give their best despite facing the adversities.
