There will be no shortage of sub-plots when Chelsea take on Liverpool for the first silverware of the season in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Each coming off tumultuous campaigns last season, fortunes this season have diverged with one challenging on all fronts whilst the other labours to rediscover former glories.

The PA news agency looks at the talking points.

Liverpool’s injury list

It was confirmed on Tuesday that Diogo Jota and Alisson would be out for significant periods while Curtis Jones also joins Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip on the absent list for Sunday.

There is no guarantee that Darwin Nunez, who like Jones and Jota was withdrawn in Saturday’s win over Brentford, or Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit …

Manchester City and Liverpool will put their epic Premier League title race on hold for a few days, as they have the small matter of the Champions League semi-finals to think about.

City are hoping to go one better than last year after losing in the final to Chelsea. Standing in their way in the last four are Real Madrid, who eliminated the holders in the quarter-finals and boast a striker in Karim Benzema who has 12 goals in nine Champions League appearances this season.

Also facing LaLiga opposition are Liverpool, though Villarreal are unlikely to be a team they expected to meet at this stage of the competition.

Led by a knockout football specialist in Unai Emery, Villarreal cannot be taken lightly by the Reds, even with Emery s men historically struggling in …

Best odds: 13/8

Bookmaker:

As they approach the 159th Rome derby in Serie A, both Lazio and Roma find themselves in a position where they need to make up ground in the race for the top four in Italy. With both teams having lost a combined total of nine league games already, dropping more points in the upcoming Sunday fixture at Stadio Olimpico is something neither club can afford as they head into the international break.

The stakes are about as high as the passion and desire for bragging rights in the Eternal City, and the outcome of this derby could significantly impact their standings and aspirations in the Serie A.

Lazio

Lazio s performance in the Champions League against Feyenoord, when Ciro Immobile s 200th goal for the club secured a victory in G…

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand lamented the Red Devils for downing tools at Brighton and Hove Albion as he questioned the fight of his former side.

Ralf Rangnick s men were thumped 4-0 at the Amex Stadium on Saturday as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard were all on target for Graham Potter s dominant hosts.

Rangnick, who will be replaced by Erik ten Hag at the end of the season, apologised for the humiliating defeat, while Bruno Fernandes accepted United supporters assessment that the players were not fit to wear the shirt .

This is set to go down as United s worst season in the Premier League era, having conceded their most goals in a single campaign (56) and fallen short of their record low for points, sitting on…

Everton and Liverpool were forced to share the spoils at Goodison Park in Sunday s Merseyside derby in the Women’s Super League with a 0-0 draw.

Liverpool dominated the early proceedings in what was a cagey affair at the home of Everton, but both sides were defensively organised leading to a lack of chances in the first half.

As the game opened up after the break, there were more opportunities to break the deadlock, and Hanna Bennison came inches away from finding the back of the net, but her whipping effort struck the bar and came out.

Ceri Holland had a golden opportunity for a winner in the dying seconds, but her deflected effort went just past the post and the sides ended up taking a point apiece in what was the first ever goalless women s Merseyside derb…

With another stacked European schedule on the cards this weekend, the action will get underway on Friday night.

As the likes of Real Madrid look to take a giant leap towards this season’s La Liga crown, we also have fixtures from the likes of Italy and Germany.

For those of you looking to stick on a Friday flutter, we have found a pair of European betting markets that are worth keeping an eye out for.

19:30 Venezia vs Cremonese

Although Venezia might have eventually fallen short in their bid to claim a play-off ticket last season, Friday’s hosts have come roaring back this time around. Now with their sights firmly set on securing a lucrative Serie A return this season, Paolo Vanoli’s side open this weekend’s fixtures sat just three points adrif…

Eventually falling short again last season as they missed out on the chance to get their hands on a first Premier League title since 2004, face what appears to be another crucial summer behind the scenes in north London.

While it might appear that a new striking star is at the top of ’s wishlist this summer, there has been plenty of focus over who could be heading in the opposite direction.

Reportedly looking to slash their wage bill ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, a number of the Gunners’ first-team superstars are potentially planning for life away from the Emirates.

Ahead of what could be a frantic summer in the red half of north London, we have taken a look at some of the Arsenal stars that could be forced out of the Emirates exit.

Oleksandr Zinchenk…

Paul Pogba insists he is not a cheater , but acknowledges he must take responsibility for the failed doping test that led to his ongoing ban.

The Juventus and France midfielder was suspended for four years in February by Italy s national anti-doping tribunal, after a drugs test revealed elevated testosterone levels in his system.

However, earlier this month, Pogba s ban was reduced to 18 months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled his consuming of the banned substance was not intentional .

It means the 31-year-old can resume training in January and will be available to play from March, and he is desperate to be back doing what he loves.

— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba)

This is not me, I m not a cheater, Pogba told Sky Sports.…

Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Portugal to win Group F
Odds:

Portugal enjoyed a 2-1 win against Belgium to end their international break on a high after a disappointing home defeat to Bulgaria days before. Having been drawn in a seemingly straight-forward group (F), Portugal go into this summer’s European Championship as big favourites to make the knockouts as table-toppers.

Austria, Iceland and Hungary are the three other sides challenging Portugal in the group, but the latter are still expected to come out on top. Their form has been inconsistent of late, however, with the national team having won two and lost two of their last four games.

Portugal’s competitive form has been more impressive, boasting four consecutive wins in the qualifiers la…

Raul Jimenez missed a glorious late chance as Fulham and Brentford shared a goalless draw in a profligate Premier League clash at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Both sides saw their Premier League winless runs extend on Saturday, with Brentford without victory in two games and Fulham not triumphing in their last three.

It could have been a different story, though, if not for substitute Jimenez lifting a gilt-edged 73rd-minute opportunity over as Marco Silva s Cottagers failed to snatch that late chance.

This draw leaves Brentford – who saw Bryan Mbeumo denied by the crossbar in the first half – in 16th but with their Premier League status already secure, while Fulham are 12th.

The points are shared.

0-0

— Fulham Football Club (@Fulha…