Gerrard preferred to Carroll, Torres or Drogba and more key Cup final tactical decisions
Kenny Dalglish and Roberto Di Matteo have some big decisions to make regarding Liverpool and Chelsea's line-ups for the FA Cup final. How will Chelsea rotate their squad with the final coming off the back of a punishing schedule of league and cup matches? What kind of attack will give goal shy Liverpool a chance of landing the knockout blow? talkSPORT looks at the key battles that will shape the outcome of the Wembley showdown.
To Torres or not to Torres
Fernando Torres is in resurgent form, with his goal against Barcelona giving him a new found energy and inspiring a hat-trick against QPR. Meanwhile, Didier Drogba has looked like Chelsea's big-game striker this season, following a massive goal in the FA Cup semi-final with an even bigger one against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in the same week. Football moves fast, however, and the recent form of Fernando Torres gives Di Matteo a dilemma: will El Niño get his chance to break hearts at his old club, or will the Blues gaffer keep the faith in the Drog? Either way, Liverpool will have their hands full and you wouldn't have said that a couple of months ago.
Stick or twist in Liverpool's forward line?
Kenny Dalglish opted to leave Craig Bellamy on the bench for Liverpool's Carling Cup final victory over Cardiff, but leaving out the second best goal-scorer at Liverpool this season could have been costly had the penalty shoot-out gone the wrong way. The Welshman also helped seal Everton's fate in the last four when he came on as a sub. After being rested during Liverpool's 1-0 loss to Fulham, is Dalglish showing a sign of intent for a more attacking line-up against Chelsea?
Andy Carroll could have used the Fulham match to play his way into Dalglish's team this weekend, but instead, with seven shots and no goals he did himself no favours. Will Dalglish make room for the England international alongside Luis Suarez? Our hunch says yes, particularly with Chelsea forced to play an unfavoured centre-back pairing.
The revolving door in the Chelsea defence
With John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic both suspended from the Champions League final, Roberto Di Matteo can use them freely on Saturday without worrying about injury ruling them out of the game in Munich. He'll need them, too, as the Blues cope with injuries at the heart of their defence.
Gary Cahill looks certain to miss the tie with Liverpool because of a hamstring injury, while reports suggesting David Luiz could yet be given the all-clear remain premature. With Chelsea's Champions League hopes potential hanging on Luiz being available, it would be a big risk for Di Matteo to give the Portuguese the nod at Wembley. That being said, he'll surely need some game time sooner rather than later, so a substitution appearance - if necessary - isn't unthinkable.
The Steven Gerrard question
Steven Gerrard's position has never been easy to pin down, but at his best under Rafa Benitez he tended to play just behind the striker. With Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in the team, Gerrard is forced to start deeper, so it's no coincidence that with Carroll dropped against Norwich, Gerrard and Suarez thrived. Gerrard's passes found the Uruguayan more often than not, and the Liverpool captain had a hand in two of the three goals Suarez scored.
Kenny Dalglish has a big decision to make over Gerrard's position against Chelsea: does the Scot learn from the Norwich game and play Stevie G off Suarez, or will he continue to insist on trying to make the Carroll/Suarez partnership work and force Gerrard to move elsewhere? Cup finals aren't the time to be stubborn for the sake of it, and Dalglish's decision over Gerrard could make or break Liverpool's game.
The verdict
Saturday's match could be a classic, but much will depend on the ambitions of both managers. Kenny Dalglish could set out with intent, playing Suarez with Gerrard behind him, and Craig Bellamy from the start, and likewise, Roberto Di Matteo could eliminate dilemmas over Torres and Drogba by playing them both. The reality, though, is that cup finals tend to be cagey affairs, and both sides will probably approach the game with caution then look to adjust via substitutions depending on how they progress. For Liverpool, doing the cup double would be both season defining and vindicating for Kenny Dalglish. For Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo knows that although winning the cup may help his case to be full-time Chelsea manager, losing big players in the process could have catastrophic consequences in the Champions League, but a cup win would give the Blues momentum as they build towards Munich.
Form in last six games
Chelsea: LWDDWW
Liverpool: LWLWWD
Will Dalglish prove the doubters wrong by bringing home the cup, or will Roberto Di Matteo's magic touch continue? Let us know below...