Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola has confirmed that the senior trio of Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Pedro are all unlikely to feature in the game against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night.
The Blues travel to Anfield to take on the Premier League leaders in the third round of the Carabao Cup, however Zola has confirmed they will be without a number of important players.
“Ruben is still recovering, very unlikely,” he said at a pre match press conference [14: 03]. “Also Rudiger. Pedro is recovering very well, but it is tough for them to be there.”
The presence of regulars Rudiger and Pedro in the line up on Wednesday would probably have been unlikely, but Loftus-Cheek’s absence is a bonus for Liverpool.
OPINION
This is good news for Liverpool. Nobody knows if the three players would have necessarily featured at Anfield, but it’s good news that Maurizio Sarri won’t have the option of using them at all. As mentioned above, Loftus-Cheek would have been the most likely of the three to have played, so Jurgen Klopp will be pleased to hear that the England international won’t be making life difficult for his midfielders on Wednesday. Rudiger’s absence probably means that Gary Cahill or Andreas Christensen will come into the middle of defence, neither of whom have played much football this season. That will provide an opportunity for Daniel Sturridge or whoever is playing up front for Liverpool to benefit from their cold feet. Pedro has started the season well for Chelsea so it’s good news for the Liverpool backline, that will presumably undergo a fair bit of rotation, that he won’t be playing.
