Crucial Chelsea superstar facing race against time to make bench in EFL Cup final vs Liverpool

Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva facing competition to start vs Liverpool in Carabao Cup final

Chelsea veteran defender Thiago Silva is now facing competition from young centre-backs for the starting lineup against Liverpool. The Brazilian player joined the Blues in 2020 and hasn’t won a domestic cup.

Silva has lost all three trips to Wembley as a Chelsea player and will be hoping to end the nightmare when the Blues take on Liverpool on the 25^th at Wembley.

According to the Telegraph, (subscription required), however, Silva is doubtful to play for the Blues due to the groin injury he suffered against Crystal Palace, which could hinder his place in the starting lineup to face Jurgen Klopp.

However, he could be on the bench given that Mauricio Pochettino may have found his perfect centre-back against Manchester City. In Silva’s absence, Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill were used by Pochettino; they performed exquisitely and remained composed under duress.

The Argentine manager could opt for the same pairing at the back despite Silva’s unavailability. But the former Paris Saint-Germain centre-back will be hoping to be in the starting XI, which could be his last chance to end his Wembley curse and finally get his hands on a domestic trophy.

Pochettino should use Disasi and Colwill at the back vs. Liverpool.

Even if Silva was fit to face Liverpool, it could be an unlikely scenario that he would be starting the game given that Disasi and Colwill were emphatic against Manchester City and gave Pochettino an ideal centre-back pairing.

City are among the finest attacking teams and boast one of the best centre-forwards. If we can stop City from scoring so many goals, then impeding Liverpool’s offensive shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Given that Diogo Jota suffered a knee injury and Mohamed Salah may be unable to play against us due to an exacerbating hamstring ailment, the stars could not be more aligned in our favour.

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Chelsea will benefit greatly from this and should take advantage of their injury issues. For us, we have to win, and any other outcome will be unsatisfactory.