Liverpool might be without Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, but it may ultimately give Jürgen Klopp two secret weapons.
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Liverpool face a tough opponent in Chelsea as they look to win their first silverware of the season, made even more difficult by the potential absence of Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.
Both Jota and Firmino have made outstanding contributions to the club this season, and their presence will be sorely missed.
But it could yet play to Liverpool's advantage and hand Jürgen Klopp the element of surprise in his tactical battle with Thomas Tuchel.
The German compatriots will know each other well from their battles in the Bundesliga, to the ones they have fought since Klopp has taken the helm at Anfield. These date all the way back to Liverpool's spectacular comeback against Borussia Dortmund in 2016, and run through to the two Premier League draws against Chelsea this season.
It would be fair to surmise that the two managers know what to expect from each other.
However, without Jota and Firmino, Klopp could be about to pull a very new trick from up his sleeve.
In the last two Premier League fixtures, Liverpool have lined up with a front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Luis Díaz. It has worked perfectly in games against Norwich City and Leeds United, with Liverpool scoring nine goals in the process. It is a partnership that is clearly flourishing, and the potential is there for even better performances as they gel together with every game.
Considering it's a brand new partnership, Tuchel will know little about it, too. The sample size is also too small to make any concrete assessments about the fledgling trio, which leave Chelsea in the dark as to what to expect.
Díaz and Mané in particular could be secret weapons.
The former is an unknown quantity in the Premier League, and it will be hard for Chelsea to gauge what they should expect of him.
His unpredictable movement and his ability to make surging runs through the defence makes him a livewire that is difficult to play against and one that could cause Tuchel's side plenty of problems. They will have analysis from his Porto days, but Liverpool-era Díaz remains a relative unknown to essentially everyone.
Meanwhile, Mané's new central position in the false nine role is again one that Tuchel and his side will have difficulty preparing for.
They will be used to handling the Senegalese international's menacing threat on the wings, but through the middle Mané is an entirely new proposition and Chelsea will have to think carefully of how to counter him. Aside from the last two games (in which he has scored three goals), Tuchel will have to trawl back more than two years to find previous data on Mané as a number nine.
Combined, the duo can give Klopp the unexpected threat and the type of edge he needs to get the better of his rivals in the final. The 'setback' could ultimately deliver Liverpool the trophy.
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