Mourinho handed lifeline as Liverpool star duo doubtful for Chelsea clash

♠ Posted by Unknown in News,Sport at 6:22 AM

Mourinho handed lifeline as Liverpool star duo doubtful for Chelsea clash - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Liverpool have suffered a massive injury blow as star striker Christian Benteke has been ruled out of the Capital One Cup fourth round tie against Bournemouth and doubtful for weekend league clash against Chelsea.

He arrived at Anfield from Aston Villa on a £32.5m deal. A hamstring injury saw him spend a month on the sidelines and returned to action during the Reds’ Europa League clash against Rubin Kazan.

Benteke came on a second half substitute against Southampton and scored a brilliant header from James Milner’s cross from the right hand side. However, Sadio Mane’s late goal saw Jurgen Klopp wait for his first victory.

According to The Guardian, the Belgium international has suffered a knee injury in the final minutes of the match against the Saints. That is likely to rule him out of the midweek Capital One Cup tie.

With Benteke out of action, he now joins Danny Ings and Daniel Sturridge as the list of injured striker at Anfield. The situation leave Divock Origi as the only recognised strikers in the squad.

ACL injury has seen the former Burnley man spent most part of the 2015-16 season on the sidelines. In addition to this, Sturridge is struggling with his ongoing injuries and he will also now be included in the squad to face Eddie Howe’s side.

The Guardian also claims the England international is also doubtful to face the Premier League champions. Klopp will take his men to Stamford Bridge as they take on struggling Chelsea in the league tie later this weekend.

Why Benteke and Sturridge’s injuries is lifeline for Mourinho

Chelsea’s miseries continued as they lost to Stoke City on penalties in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. Jose Mourinho has seen his side win only three matches in league so far this season, which includes a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United in the last league tie.

The Mirror claims the former Real Madrid managed will be sacked if the west London club suffers a defeat at the hands of Liverpool. Benteke and Sturridge are a threat up front and could trouble the struggling Chelsea defenders, if both play alongside each other.

Even one of the two striker’s presence could be sufficient to provide threat up front. Having the former Chelsea striker will also bring the best of Philippe Coutinho as together they are a formidable force while going forward.

Their absence will only be a blessing in disguise for Mourinho. However, he has his own issues as his star striker Diego Costa could be doubtful for the clash against Liverpool. The Brazil-born Spain international was hospitalised with a rib injury against Stoke.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News