On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea and Liverpool go head-to-head in the EFL Cup final. London’s iconic Wembley Stadium is the venue for the showpiece, with 90,000 fans expected to enjoy the spectacle.
Liverpool are the most successful club in the tournament’s history, having claimed eight titles over the years. They last reached the final back in 2016, losing to Manchester City on that occasion.
A League Cup final from the archives! 📼 pic.twitter.com/deL2U6QQRa— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 24, 2022
A League Cup final from the archives! 📼 pic.twitter.com/deL2U6QQRa
Only Liverpool and Man City have lifted the trophy more times than Chelsea. The Blues have five EFL Cup titles to their name and last secured the silverware in 2015.
In the Premier League table, third-place Chelsea and second-place Liverpool are separated by ten points. It is woerth noting, however, that Chelsea have a game in hand on Liverpool.
Chelsea head into Sunday’s showpiece on the back of a 2-0 victory over Lille in the Champions League. That means they have won each of their last six games in all competitions.
Having clinched the FIFA Club World Cup title earlier this month, the Blues have the chance to lift a second trophy in a matter of weeks on Sunday.
When you look at the bigger picture, Thomas Tuchel’s side have lost just one of their previous 19 matches across all competitions.
Chelsea beat Aston Villa, Southampton and Brentford in the early rounds of the EFL Cup before booking their spot in the final with a 3-0 aggregate victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool come into this showdown having thrashed Leeds United 6-0 on Wednesday, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both bagging a brace.
The Reds have now won each of their previous nine games across all competitions, scoring over 1.5 goals in all but one of those games.
Jurgen Klopp’s side booked their place in the EFL Cup final with a 2-0 aggregate win over Arsenal. Before that, they overcame Norwich, Preston and Leicester City.
Head-to-head: Chelsea and Liverpool have already faced each other twice in the Premier League this season, drawing 1-1 at Anfield before drawing 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have won just two of their past ten meetings with Liverpool in all competitions, suffering four defeats in the process. The other four games ended in a draw.
Team news: Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee for Chelsea. There are also question marks over the fitness of Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic.
As for Liverpool, Roberto Firmino will miss Sunday’s final with a muscle injury. Diogo Jota is also an injury doubt.
If this season’s Premier League meetings between Chelsea and Liverpool are anything to go by, Sunday’s final is destined to be a close-fought battle between two top sides.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea and Liverpool will play out a high-scoring draw inside 90 minutes. Extra-time and/or penalties could be required to determine the winner.