Trent Alexander-Arnold unable to play in Carabao Cup final

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's defender, is forecasted to be absent from the Carabao Cup final versus Chelsea at Wembley stadium on Sunday due to an injury.

During Liverpool's FA Cup third round victory against Arsenal in early January, Alexander-Arnold experienced a knee issue which had him sidelined for several weeks. He missed three matches including both semi-final legs of the Carabao Cup against Fulham but returned for the FA Cup game against Norwich on January 28.

In the Premier League loss against Arsenal, Alexander-Arnold was a starter and managed to play for 58 minutes before being taken off as a safety measure. Nevertheless, during the following weekend's win against Burnley he was substituted at half-time. During this match, he had his left knee bound, which wasn't the case a few days ago against Arsenal.

The Liverpool media have now stated that the right-back exacerbated his knee injury during the match against Burnley and won't be able to participate in the Carabao Cup final. The team's vice-captain hadn't attended Tuesday's training session.

Conor Bradley, an up-and-coming talent, was granted compassionate leave due to the unfortunate death of his father earlier this month, which coincided with Alexander-Arnold's comeback.

Following the Burnley match, Jurgen Klopp mentioned that Bradley is given 'as much time as he needs with his family' for his time off back in Northern Ireland. The 20-year-old who has recently shown significant progress is now back in training and may be a starting player at Wembley.

Mohamed Salah, who had a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations, has also resumed training this week. Similarly, Alisson is now available after missing the Burnley match due to illness. However, Caoimhin Kelleher has been the favoured choice for the Carabao Cup throughout the season and had been chosen over the Brazilian player when Liverpool last made it to the finals in 2022.