Liverpool will square off with Chelsea in the EFL Cup final on Sunday at the Wembley Stadium, with both sides looking to win the first piece of silverware in the 2023-24 season.
The Reds outclassed Fulham in the semi-final of the cup competition, while their London rivals thrashed Middlesbrough to make it thus far in the tournament.
Match Preview
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will want to make his final season memorable by winning all the available four trophies.
The German boss led his side to a 3-2 aggregate victory over Fulham last month to book a place in the final against Chelsea.
Klopp and his team have already beaten the West Londoners once in the competition’s final in 2022, and he will be confident of repeating that feat on Sunday.
The Reds are currently on an excellent run of form, winning seven of their eight matches in the English top-flight.
Their most recent success came against Luton Town where four of their players scored to record a 4-1 victory at Anfield.
On the other hand, Chelsea showed great resilience to secure a point at Manchester City last weekend.
Raheem Sterling scored the opening goal three minutes before the half-time, but Rodri rescued a draw with a late equaliser.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have endured an underwhelming season as they are languishing in 10th with just 35 points from 25 matches.
Pochettino has been facing scrutiny for failing to revive the fortunes of the club despite arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
The Argentine boss has a brilliant chance to end the campaign on a high by winning the Carabao Cup.
The Blues have won the domestic competition five times in the past, with their most recent success coming in 2015.
However, they lost both their latest EFL Cup finals in 2019 and 2022 to Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.
Team News
Chelsea were without Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Benoit Badiashile against Manchester City, and the trio are set to miss again on Sunday. Thiago Silva’s availability is also doubtful due to a groin concern.
Meanwhile, Liverpool face a lengthy list of absentees due to injury issues, including Alisson Becker, Ben Doak, Stefan Bajcetic, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are also doubtful for the important clash at Wembley.
Chelsea vs Liverpool potential line-ups
Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson
Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Endo, Mac Allister; Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz
How to Watch?
Fans of football can stream EFL Cup final live on TV.
Chelsea vs Liverpool prediction
Chelsea have lost two EFL Cup finals in the last five years, but they are expected to prevail in Sunday’s final this time. Liverpool are the team in form but they will be missing some of their key players, which should give the edge to Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
