Fabinho to miss FA Cup final, but Klopp hopes Liverpool star will be fit for Champions League showpiece

By Sports Desk May 12, 2022

Fabinho has been ruled out of Saturday's FA Cup final, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes the midfielder will return before the end of the season.

Brazil international Fabinho was forced off during the first half of Liverpool's 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday.

It was subsequently confirmed that the 28-year-old had sustained a muscle problem and Klopp has confirmed he will not feature against Chelsea at Wembley.

However, Klopp is confident that Fabinho will make his comeback in time to play against Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28.

"There's a good chance that he will be available for the Champions League final," Klopp told Liverpool's official website. "Not for the weekend."

Liverpool trail Manchester City by three points in the Premier League, with two games remaining. They face Southampton next week and host Wolves in the final fixture of the campaign.

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    Naeher has won 113 caps for the USWNT and was a regular between the sticks during their most recent World Cup-winning campaign in 2019, also starting for Emma Hayes' Olympic Gold medallists in Paris earlier this year.

    The 36-year-old, who has represented the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL since 2016, will link up with Hayes' side for their upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands, but that will be the final camp she attends.

    Naeher said in a statement posted to her Instagram account: "With immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game.

    "Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honour.

    "This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.

    "I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."

    Hope Solo (202) and Briana Scurry (175) are the only goalkeepers to make more appearances for the team than Naeher, who made her debut versus Argentina in December 2014.

  • Aguero: 'Not wise' to rule Man City out of title race yet Aguero: 'Not wise' to rule Man City out of title race yet

    Sergio Aguero insists it is "not wise" to rule out the prospect of Manchester City catching Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

    Liverpool opened up an eight-point gap at the summit on Sunday with a 3-2 win over Southampton, a day on from City's humiliating 4-0 home loss to Tottenham.

    It marks the second-biggest lead by a team at the top after 12 matches of a Premier League campaign, bettered only by Manchester United's nine-point advantage in 1993-94.

    However, City have previously made up ground when trailing Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool to win the title – the latter by 10 points in 2018-19. 

    And Aguero, a five-time Premier League title winner with City, has warned Liverpool that history could yet repeat itself this season.

    "Pundits are always quick to call the race and my response is always the same: it ain't over until it's over," he told Stake.com. 

    "The current point advantage may be insignificant by the end of the season. We've seen that happen frequently. 

    "The 2011-12 season had us eight points below United and we took that trophy."

    City are the first reigning English top-flight champions to lose five games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.

    Three of those losses have come in the Premier League, which Opta's supercomputer now gives Pep Guardiola's side just a 15.4% chance of winning.

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    Mohamed Salah says he is "probably more out than in" at Liverpool as he is yet to receive an offer to extend his contract.

    The Egyptian is Liverpool's top scorer this season, having netted 12 goals in all competitions, but is in the final months of his current deal, which runs out at the end of the campaign.

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    Only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (12) has bettered Salah's tally of 10 goals this term.

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