Talking points ahead of the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea

Liverpool face Chelsea at Wembley for the second time this season in the FA Cup final after Jurgen Klopp’s side beat their London rivals in the Carabao Cup in February.

Here the PA news agency looks at some of the issues surrounding the game.

Jürgen Klopp admitted the Reds will need to wait for further assessment in order to discover the extent of the injury Fabinho sustained against Aston Villa:

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 10, 2022

A hamstring injury to midfielder Fabinho – whom the coaching staff refer to as the team’s lighthouse for his protection role – means he will not be fit before the Champions League final at the end of the month. That means captain Jordan Henderson, who has had more of an attacking role this season, will be asked to drop deeper. It is not an unfamiliar job to the England international but he is not as effective as Fabinho in screening the back four.

The £97.5million summer signing continues to confuse and frustrate in equal measure as manager Thomas Tuchel still does not appear to have faith in the club’s record signing. He may have scored three times in back-to-back matches, having not started the previous three, but Tuchel has not trusted him for the big games. He did pose a threat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final as a 70th-minute substitute but may have to settle for a role off the bench again.

There never used to be any guessing over who Liverpool’s front three would be for big games but the options open to manager Jurgen Klopp mean two players will be disappointed on Saturday. On current form Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz, who has made such an impact since his arrival in January, have to start which means the last place will surely go to Mohamed Salah despite scoring just two goals (both in