Liverpool’s Fabinho to miss FA Cup final against Chelsea with injury

LONDON (Reuters) – Liverpool defensive midfielder Fabinho will miss Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium due to a muscular injury, but the Brazilian could return for other upcoming matches, manager Jurgen Klopp said.

Fabinho was forced off injured in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League win at Aston Villa.

Liverpool is second in the league, three points behind Manchester City, with two games left. The Reds are also due to play Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris on May 28.

“There’s a good chance that he will be back whenever – not for the weekend but whenever,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website on Thursday.

Liverpool, which won the League Cup in

February, remains on train the hunt for a haul of four trophies this season.

Kovacic needs ‘miracle’ to play

In related news, Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic needs a “miracle” to be fit in time for the final against Liverpool on Saturday after the Croatia international limped off in Wednesday’s 3-0 win against Leeds United, said manager Thomas Tuchel.

Kovacic was at the receiving end of a reckless tackle from Leeds winger Dan James, who was shown a straight red card for the 24th-minute challenge.

“I tell you as a coach and not as an expert, but for me it is very unlikely he will play in the cup final,” Tuchel told reporters.

“He tried to play another 15 minutes which was almost impossible, so now he has a swollen ankle and is in a lot of pain.”

The 28-year-old, who also missed three games due to an ankle problem last month, has been a key player for Chelsea this season, making 43 appearances in all competitions and contributing six assists.

Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku were on target at Elland Road as Chelsea bounced back from a minor slump to clinch it first win in four league games.

“We needed to step up, there was a reason why we conceded goals and we did this as a team,” said Tuchel. “It was nothing new that we did today but we did it on a much higher level of focus and discipline than in the last matches.”

Chelseais third in the standings on 70 points, four ahead of Arsenal, which had a chance to close that gap with a win against Tottenham Hotspur late Thursday. Dazzling De Bruyne propels Man City

closer to Premier League title Meawhile, Manchester City’s midfield genius Kevin De Bruyne scored four goals late Wednesday in a 5-1 win at Wolverhampton

Wanderers to put his team in a commanding position to retain the Premier League with two games remaining.

The Belgian put the game to bed with a hat-trick in a devastating 18-minute spell in the first half, before notching a fourth after the break as the away fans alternated between chanting “Kevin De Bruyne” and “Champions of England.”

The win leaves Pep Guardiola’s side top on 89 points, three ahead of Liverpool, which it also leads on goal difference, with the title now firmly in its sights.

A second consecutive Premier League title would assuage disappointment at the club’s Champions League exit, after City fell in the semis and Liverpool reached the final.

At Molineux, De Bruyne scored the third earliest hat-trick in Premier League history and his first for Manchester City.

For the first goal, he began the move before running on to Bernardo Silva’s return pass for a sumptuously-placed finish in the seventh minute. De Bruyne smashed in a rebound for his second in the 16th minute, before deploying his supposedly weaker left foot for a glorious curler from the edge of the box in the 24th.

“The third goal was my favourite. I think that strike is the cleanest. I hit it really hard in the corner. Out of the three, that was the purest,” he said.

“When you score four goals, it’s always something special. It should have been five to be honest!” he added, lamenting that a late strike hit the post.

Manchester City plays West Ham away and then Aston Villa at home in its remaining two Premier League fixtures, with one win and a draw guaranteeing the title.

Liverpool has the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday before facing Southampton away and Wolves at home in the last two league matches.