Chelsea Centre-Back Joins League Cup Injury List: 1 In, 1 Out
As the Carabao Cup final approaches, both Liverpool and Chelsea are facing injury concerns. For Chelsea, their center-back Benoit Badiashile has joined the list of absentees, while Liverpool is dealing with concerns over Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ryan Gravenberch. However, there is hope for Liverpool as Mohamed Salah, Conor Bradley, and Dominik Szoboszlai could potentially make a return.
Badiashile suffered a groin injury in the recent 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup, and he is expected to be out for a month. This is a blow for Chelsea as the 22-year-old had been proving increasingly key to the team. Manager Mauricio Pochettino had even dropped Thiago Silva in favor of Badiashile as a tactical move.
According to the Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, there is a feeling within Chelsea that Silva’s presence on the field forces too many tactical compromises. Therefore, Pochettino may consider himself fortunate that Levi Colwill has now recovered from a hamstring injury and could partner with Axel Disasi in the absence of Badiashile.
However, there is evidence to suggest that Liverpool may view Chelsea’s center-back position as a weakness. Liverpool supporters had insisted over the summer that Colwill was a must-buy, but it seems that the 20-year-old is still a work-in-progress. In addition, Chelsea’s shielding midfielders Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez struggled in their previous encounter with Liverpool.
Despite these injury concerns, Chelsea should have Trevoh Chalobah back fit for the final, although he is unlikely to play a major role. There is also a possibility that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez could be back in contention. With almost two weeks before the 3pm kickoff, there is still time for the injury situation to change. However, one thing is certain – Badiashile will miss out on the Carabao Cup final.