Chelsea vs Liverpool Preview

Record Carabao Cup holders Liverpool will look to win their tenth EFL Cup trophy when they face a Chelsea side desperate for silverware this Sunday. Both sides will meet at the Wembley Stadium after becoming the two teams left out of the initial 92 that entered the competition.

Chelsea enter this tie as the side more desperate for a trophy after a stop-start season under Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine’s first season at Stamford Bridge hasn’t gone as planned with his side languishing in mid-table in the Premier League however they have a chance of adding some spice to their poor season by winning a trophy.

The omen points to another disappointing outing for the Blues at Wembley. The London club have been unlucky lately at this stadium, losing their last five finals here. The most recent two came in the 2021/22 season when Liverpool edged them out twice via penalty shootouts en route to a memorable domestic double.

Also, manager Pochettino has a poor record against his opposite number Jürgen Klopp. The Argentine has gotten the better of his German counterpart just once in 13 managerial H2Hs (D4, L7). The one that would’ve stung the most came in their only prior meeting in a final when Klopp’s Liverpool beat his Tottenham side for the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy in Madrid.

Klopp will be desperate to record another win over Pochettino and Chelsea as he attempts to win four trophies in his last season at Liverpool. Although the German has said his side are not favourites here given their current injury crisis, his side’s form suggests otherwise.

The Reds have won eight of their last ten games in all competitions (D1, L1) and became the first side in Europe’s top five league to score 100 goals in all competitions this season when they came from a goal down to beat Luton Town 4-1 in midweek. And so, although they may be badly hit by injuries, Liverpool have momentum on their side and can extend their unbeaten run against Chelsea to nine games in all competitions if they win.