Trevor Sinclair has warned Jurgen Klopp that Romelu Lukaku can hurt Liverpool if Thomas Tuchel starts the striker for Chelsea in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, he said on talkSPORT.
Lukaku’s place in the Blues’ attack is under question after Tuchel left him on the bench in the Champions League. The Stamford Bridge natives hosted Lille in the first-leg of their last 16 tie on Tuesday. Yet they picked Kai Havertz to lead the line over their £97.5m forward.
Tuchel’s decision came after Lukaku had failed to net for a fourth-straight Premier League game at Crystal Palace last weekend. He is yet to score a top-flight goal in 2022 and has so far only managed five in 17 games all term. Also, he has only started 12 of his appearances.
Havertz, meanwhile, broke the deadlock against Lille for the £71m maestro’s seventh goal of the season in all competitions. Two of the German’s goals have come in the top-flight, including one to open the scoring at Anfield in August before Mohamed Salah’s penalty.
Sinclair warns Liverpool of ‘real’ Lukaku performance in Carabao Cup final
Yet Sinclair expects Tuchel to start Lukaku when Chelsea face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. The former West Ham and Manchester City forward feels the Belgian will open the action as Tuchel rested rather than benched him at home to Lille.
Additionally, Sinclair believes Havertz will have no impact on Liverpool’s centre-backs while Lukaku can do the damage for Chelsea. As while the 28-year-old striker is not at the top of his game, he knows how to exploit Klopp’s system and show who he really is on Sunday.
“I’ve got a funny feeling Lukaku will start,” Sinclair said. “He’s rested, he’s had a difficult time but behind closed doors, I think Thomas Tuchel is managing that with the player.
“If you think about how Liverpool play and how Lukaku’s been successful in the past at Inter Milan, they were defending deep and hitting teams on the counter-attack.
“I don’t think Kai Havertz will have any impact on either [Joel] Matip or Virgil van Dijk if he plays for Chelsea. But if Lukaku does [play] and Liverpool press high, as they do at Wembley, you may see a real performance from Lukaku.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
