The key player Chelsea will lose for the Carabao Cup final vs. Liverpool

Chelsea's performances during the 2023/24 season are disappointing. They spent a fortune during the last transfer windows to sign top players to help them compete with the best teams in England, but that has so far not happened. In fact, in the Premier League they are in 11th place in the standings, far behind leaders Liverpool and out of the qualification zone for international tournaments.

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That is why their main objective this season is the Carabao Cup. They are in the final, after beating Brighton & Hove Albion, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the previous rounds. Now, in the decisive match, they will face Liverpool on Sunday, February 25 at Wembley Stadium.

With just under two weeks to go until that game, coach Mauricio Pochettino received some terrible news: he will be without an important player in the squad, Benoit Badiashile. The 22-year-old defender suffered a groin problem during the match against Aston Villa in the FA Cup last week, which forced him to be replaced in the final minutes by Alfie Gilchrist.

Now the results of the medical tests are in: the French player will be out of action for at least four weeks. That means he will miss three Premier League games (against Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Brentford), the FA Cup round of 16 vs Leeds United and, most importantly, the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

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What alternatives does the manager have?

Without Benoit Badiashile, Mauricio Pochettino will have to look at other options for Chelsea's defense in the coming games. The favorites to take that place are Axel Disasi and Thiago Silva, although Alfie Gilchrist also has a chance to play there. But that is not the only problem for the Argentine coach, as other players are recovering from injuries, such as Trevoh Chalobah and Romeo Lavia.