Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed late fitness tests will be required for Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.

The attacking trio have just two more days to recover for the showdown at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Salah and Nunez missed the midweek 4-1 win at home to Luton due to minor muscle injuries, where the Reds impressively came from behind to win despite having 11 senior players out injured.

Lijnders was once again on domestic cup press conference duties instead of Jurgen Klopp on Friday and provided an update on the status of his three injured stars.

“Dom, Darwin and Mo, we will see,” he stated.

“We have two more sessions, two days. We will check if they can be there.”

He added: “All the others are out until after the international break, or around that.

“Trent [Alexander-Arnold] will be after the international break. [Diogo] Jota, after the international break. [Curtis] Jones, maybe just before. After the international break means that we are not sure [exactly when they will return].”

Liverpool have won four of their last five Premier League matches since beating Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield a month ago. The excellent form has helped secure a four-point cushion at the top of the table, albeit having played a game more than title chasers Manchester City and Arsenal.

But despite being 25 points ahead of tenth-placed Chelsea, further injury problems could level the playing field. However, that’s not something Lijnders considers an excuse.

“It’s about accepting what you have and not worry about what you don’t have,” he continued. “That’s what we have done in the past.

“In Holland, we say every disadvantage has its advantages. We get young players in; others who didn’t play can show it now, and this season is one when we create three or four teams. It’s a compliment for our squad.”

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker misses out after pulling his hamstring, while Alexander-Arnold has a knee problem and Jota remains out for “months” with a knee injury. Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip and Stefan Bajcetic are also out. However, their absences have offered chances to youngsters like Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, and James McConnell.

Lijnders was also full of praise for Chelsea, who have won away at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace before earning a creditable draw at Manchester City since being well beaten on Merseyside last month.

“Chelsea, a good final starts with respecting and acknowledging their strengths,” he said.

“Where do we start? [Moises] Caicedo and Enzo [Fernandez] are in the middle, really making the game. Enzo is the one who, if you let him free, can play passes everywhere.

“I think a lot of instability happened at the beginning of the season, so how can you expect them to perform? They are growing. I think the manager and coaching staff are doing a good job. I think he has finally found his XI.

“I think [Cole] Palmer is one of the best signings, especially taking him from a rival as a young player and performing like that. [Conor] Gallagher is a No10 from the academy and he is a proper leader. He’s a No10 who gets his shirt dirty.

“If you let them play with Palmer and Gallagher between the lines, it will be really hard, with Enzo dropping deep, and they have speed up front.

“We will need our full team to defend them, and a good final always starts with respecting their strength and defending them with all we have. That’s the target to deliver joy and emotion to our fans.”

Like Klopp, Lijnders and the rest of the coaching staff could take part in their final match at Wembley on Sunday ahead of leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. Having previously being touted as a successor to Klopp, Lijnders explained why he won't replace the legendary coach.

“Nobody will replace Jurgen,” he noted. “We knew [he would leave] in the summer, OK we are going towards the end of this project. We agreed to finish this project together and it is the right way to do it. They will find a new coach with ideas and I am excited to manage to find the right club but until the last final of the season I am focused on Liverpool and that is why we have agents, no?"