(Football news) Liverpool are locked in an intense Premier League title race with Manchester City. The Reds are 3 points behind City with 2 games left to play. City have a superior goal difference which means they will have to lose one and draw or lose the other match in order for Liverpool to win the title. A big blow to Liverpool's title challenge was the draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. The Merseyside club recovered well from that by coming back from a goal down to defeat Aston Villa.

While the 3 points at Villa park were very crucial, there was something far more damaging for Liverpool in that game. Holding midfielder Fabinho had to be taken off in the 30th minute as he suffered a hamstring injury. According to reports, the Brazilian is ruled out of the FA Cup final against Chelsea this weekend and also the remaining two Premier League games. Fabinho will race against time to be fit for the UCL final against Real Madrid. His absence will be a huge blow for Liverpool and could completely derail their season. Even if Fabinho does get fit in time for Real Madrid, he will come into the game without any match practice which in itself is a big problem.

Liverpool do not have any natural replacement for Fabinho but Jordan Henderson can play in that role. Joel Matip is also an option as he used to play as a CDM for Schalke before he turned into a center back. No one in the Liverpool squad can match Fabinho's agility and also his ability to recycle possession. It will be great news for Real Madrid if the midfielder doesn't play the UCL final. A midfield of Thiago, Henderson and Naby Keita might be the best option Jurgen Klopp has available. The Reds cannot afford any new injuries before the UCL final if they want to get the better of Real Madrid.

Also read: Atletico Madrid secure UCL spot with 2-0 win over Elche