• A key player could be defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo who was overpriced at £115m (Sh21bn) but is still a player good enough to control the centre in this game.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold will be watching from his sofa at home along with Thiago Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai. In total, Liverpool have seven first-team players unavailable through injury.
Image: FILE
The Carabao Cup on Sunday afternoon could be a classic match. Chelsea were poor when they visited Anfield a few weeks ago but Mauricio Pochettino has turned his team around since then.
Raheem Sterling is back on form and even scoring while leftback Ben Chilwell and centreback Axel Disasi have found themselves working together perfectly.
This not only strengthens the defence but is also effective in moving the ball forward. Chelsea are now dangerous as Manchester City discovered last weekend when they conceded a draw at home.
A key player could be defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo who was overpriced at £115m (Sh21bn) but is still a player good enough to control the centre in this game.
Jurgen Klopp has got the best out of his central defensive midfielder Wataru Endo, who is much better than when he played in Germany. Both Pochettino and Klopp think the match could hinge on these two players and their success rate in stopping the forwards.
Injuries have been cruel to Klopp with Curtis Jones the latest absentee alongside in-form Diogo Jota—who was stretchered off after colliding with Brentford’s Christian Norgaard.
Jota left Anfield with a knee brace and on crutches. He has scored six times and made several assists which will be sorely missed on Sunday. Darwin Nunez was taken off early as a precaution to ensure he plays on Sunday but he was complaining of muscle fatigue.
Cody Gakpo deputised and scored Liverpool’s fourth goal, giving himself a good chance of playing. One big concern is Mo Salah’s recurrence of the injury he suffered playing for Egypt at the Cup of Nations and which forced him to return to Liverpool early.
The injury has troubled him all week and I was told on Wednesday he is unlikely to start. However, the medical team are assessing him day-by-day and a decision will be made on Saturday. Four of the front five have reached double figures this season which gives Liverpool a good chance of scoring against Chelsea.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be watching from his sofa at home along with Thiago Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai. In total, Liverpool have seven first-team players unavailable through injury.
Premier League: Arsenal V Newcastle
When asked what has made the Gunners so successful lately, Mikel Arteta said one of the main reasons was his controversial signing of Kai Havertz.
He said: “The connection of the players is flowing.” His point was underlined by the chemistry between captain Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Havertz. Odegaard has a sense of where Havertz will be and is constantly passing the ball to him. Havertz moves easily from midfield to attack and is feeding his forwards with some delightful balls.
Newcastle, on the other hand, are going through a bad patch. Eddie Howe has done a great job so far but even his tactics are being called into question as the Black and Whites sit in eighth place, 12 points below the top four.
Drawing at home with Bournemouth is not good enough for the fans or the Saudi owners, who have made it clear they expect improvements. This weekend, Howe’s tactics will again be questioned as he decides who to play at leftback. Tino Livramento is comfortable at leftback but Howe picks a more natural centreback, Dan Burn.
Burn can defend against aerial attacks in the penalty area but Livramento can cope better with Arsenal’s marauding forwards such as Bukayo Saka, who will again play on the right wing. He is in devastating form.
Newcastle striker Callum Wilson will be missing following news that he has to undergo surgery on his pectoral tendon, which will keep him out for up to 12 weeks.
Eddie Howe was waiting patiently at the training ground as he watched Joe Willock and Alexander Isak go through routines and although it is not certain, there is a possibility both could feature.
Bournemouth V Manchester City
Manchester City face a tricky match at Bournemouth, who are capable of taking points off the champions. Bernardo Silva and John Stones are fit to return to their starting roles having come off the bench last weekend.
Except for injured Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol, who have muscular and ankle injuries, Pep Guardiola has all other players available. After some rumours, Guardiola put the record straight this week that he does not expect Kevin De Bruyne to take on defensive responsibilities from his midfield position. Guardiola wants to get the maximum creativity and playmaking qualities from his star player.
The coach said of De Bruyne: “He has to be in the final third and he is not there to defend deeper. I have Rodri, Silva and Kovacic to drop back defending and Kevin has picked up seven assists this season despite missing five months through injury. Erling Haaland did not warm up before the Brentford game on Tuesday evening because he was experiencing a niggling pain in his hamstring after a four-month lay-off.”
Guardiola will assess and decide on his involvement on Saturday morning.
Bournemouth have Dominic Solanke in top form and coach Andoni Iraola believes the players behind him, Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo can deal with City’s 4-1-4-1 lineup with Rodri commanding the centre.
Aston Villa V Nottingham Forest
Unai Emery believes Aston Villa turned themselves around last weekend beating Fulham away from home. The Villa coach has to cope with a long injury list, the like of which he says he has never seen in his career.
Villa are still fourth and only four points behind second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand. Emery was first to praise striker Ollie Watkins, who was man-of-the-match against Fulham after scoring two goals in the 2-1 win.
Watkins is a striker who has everything. He can tackle, make runs, fend off defenders and make assists. He seems to score in almost every match and these days. Youri Tielemans, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey should all be fit for Forest.
Forest are still jubilant after their 2-0 win against West Ham. Callum Hudson-Odoi is turning out to be the signing of the transfer window as the Chelsea player turned in another starring performance against the Hammers.
He will lead the line alongside Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga with Danilo Oliveira and Nicolas Dominguez behind him. Centrebacks Murillo and Felipe have been given “stop Watkins” duties by coach Nuno Espirito Santo.