Mateo Kovacic will pull out all the stops to be fit for Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final clash with Liverpool at Wembley.
The Croatia midfielder hobbled out of Wednesday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Leeds with an ankle ligament problem.
N’Golo Kante is also battling to be fit after a series of niggles, though Callum Hudson-Odoi will miss out through ongoing back trouble.
Midfielder Fabinho has been ruled out of Liverpool’s final three matches of the domestic season with a hamstring injury.
Captain Jordan Henderson will come in and fill the holding role with Thiago Alcantara also likely to return to the starting line-up after being rested for the midweek win over Aston Villa.
Mohamed Salah, a substitute at Villa Park, is set to start up front alongside Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz with left-back Andy Robertson expected to return after being given Tuesday off.
Chelsea provisional squad: Mendy, Arrizabalaga, Chalobah, Christensen, Rudiger, Silva, Sarr, Azpilicueta, Alonso, James, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Niguez, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Havertz, Werner, Lukaku.
Liverpool provisional squad: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Keita, Thiago, Salah, Mane, Diaz, Kelleher, Gomez, Matip, Tsimikas, Milner, Jones, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jota, Firmino, Minamino.
