Despite Daniel James' best efforts, Kovacic's injury not as bad and due to train with the squad tomorrow. In contention to play Saturday's final.
FFS! Was hoping he was out, always plays well against us. Chelsea much better with him in the side. Kante back in training today as well. Hopefully both rushing back too quick as it's all that's left in your season so they might as well. Meaning they'll start and be off the pace. Remaining league games irrelevant if they have a setback from rushing. Fabinho definitely out.
No Fabinho is a huge loss, especially since it could mean he comes into the Champions League final a bit cold. You'd assume Klopp goes Henderson, Keita, Thiago then.
Work hours changed so can watch, love the FAC Tbf if it's FAC then they have had the monopoly with Arsenal past 20 years.
Queue another Lukaku/his agent interview at the most ridiculous time. Day before a cup final. His agent has now spoken about issues within the club for Lukaku and potentially leaving this summer bUt lUkaKu iS sTIlL fOcUSeD oN cHeLSeA. Get this ****ing mug out of my club.
Excited now its getting nearer ,leaving just after nine tonight. In terms of what I'd like to see I think I would personally start Konate as Havertz is a nightmare in the air with his intelligent movement ,Chelsea will constrict our middle to stop the ball finding Salah and co and press up on our fB's for the same reason. I think for this reason we would be best suited playing Thiago deeper dictating the play allowing Henderson and Keita to get forward and break their lines. I definitely wouldn't start Jota has he hasn't justified a starting berth with his performances of late and we kind of lose that perception around the box ,so for this reason we may see the manager start Firmino with Mane and Salah dropping Diaz and Jota to the bench. Now this wont be a popular opinion as Diaz is on his way to becoming a phenomena ,but he's a young lad and the occasion and the onus placed on him may get the better of the lad ,so I'd go with tried and tested experience and if he's needed in this game 'which is going to be tight 'and introduced in the last 20 mins he would give a tired Chelsea defence twisted blood and possibly completely change the game. This may seem a strange mindset ,but I've been to enough Cup finals to know its rarely the players you expect to win the game that do and I'd sooner have a player with Diaz's talent fired up to come on in the last 20/30 mins rather than start the game and be subbed after being overawed by the occasion and expectation of supporters ,I mean ,lets be honest the lad has already started to shoulder that burden albeit excellently ,but for me the likes of Salah has to step up and reaffirm why prior to the African Cup and World Cup qualifying heartbreak he was arguably referred to as the best striker in World football. Hopefully he's thinking the same thoughts as every Liverpool fan and they're not just soundbites he's suddenly decided to share with the media in light of his yet to be resolved contract ? Cant wait now ,butterflies have already started.
Fully expect Chelsea to line up with the now 100% fit Kovacic, Kante, prime Lampard, Terry, Drogba and Peter Osgood. Diaz has to start. It will be tight, Chelsea need this to salvage their season, and the League Cup final was 50/50, if anything they had better chances. Don't think we can hand them the advantage of playing without one of our most in form players for most of the game. He's proven he can handle pressure against Chelsea in a cup final recently, and was one of the players of the tournament at the Copa America, no worries there at all.
Fingers crossed for Klopp's team. Only domestic trophy he's not yet won. If he wins it, too, he would've won all domestic major trophies in Germany and in England. Legend! btw: Does it often happens that the FA cup final is played before the regular season has ended? League Cup ok, but FA Cup? I think I'll watch it today, HSV doesn't play today and Bundesliga has 9 matches at 3:30pm CEST because it's the last matchday, so there's time available. It's listed here with kick-off at 5:45pm (CEST) (must be 3:45pm GMT if my math is right?)?
4.45 here. Seems to be a mix of the 2. Usually is the final game but in recent years hasn’t always been played at the end of the season . Not sure why it’s being played before the final league games this year .
Summer time in the UK, too? Thought it was GMT+2 after the Brexit btw: Just read on kicker.de that it's the 150th anniversary of the oldest Cup Final in the world. Awesome. In Germany we didn't do Cup Finals until 1935 before that it was only the League. On exactly the same day, 14th May, 34 years ago it was Wimbledon who won it in 1988. After their long walk through the leagues, from Non-League into the old First Division, they won it. Still an unbelievable achievement. And another history piece, today: For the first time it will be a german coach who'll win the FA Cup. Either Tuchel or Klopp. I prefer the latter
Cup Final Day & the BBC wheel out Mark ( scruffy f*cker ) Lawrenson . Interesting stat , no team has lost 3 successive FA Cup finals , Chelsea could rewrite that history today .
