England League Cup Final: Chelsea vs Liverpool

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Chelsea vs Liverpool Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

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

The EFL Cup, also known as the League Cup, is first held in 1960/61 season. It is one of the three top-tier domestic football competitions in England, alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. It concludes in February, long before the other two, which end in May. It was introduced by the league as a response to the increasing popularity of European football. The tournament is played over seven rounds, with single-leg ties throughout, except for the semi-finals. The final is held at Wembley Stadium which is the only tie in the competition played at a neutral venue and on a weekend (Sunday). Aston Villa were the inaugural winners in 1961, defeating Rotherham United 3:2 in the final over two legs. The current holders are Manchester United, who beat Newcastle in the last year's final. Liverpool, are the most successful team in the competition, lifting the trophy nine times.

This is the most important game for Chelsea, a chance for some success in a poor season. The Blues are very inconsistent this term and they are far away from the first place as big 25 points separate them from the leaders Liverpool. Even a Top-Six finish look unrealistic at the moment. Manager Mauricio Pochettino is under big pressure due to poor results. But everything could be "swallowed" if they win here. Chelsea have eliminated AFC Wimbledon, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough on their way to Wembley. The current form is not at desired level, though the away draw with Manchester City is an excellent result. Pochettino has some injury issues as Benoit Badiashile, Reece James and Wesley Fofana are sidelined, while Marc Cucurella and Thiago Silva are rated as doubtful due to ankle and groin injury respectively. In addition, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia remain unavailable.

Liverpool managed to eliminate Leicester City, Bournemouth, West Ham and Fulham in the previous stage of the competition. This will be a 14th appearance in the League Cup finals for the Reds. They are leaders in the Premier League and the fans are dreaming of quadruple. But there is a big problem for Jurgen Klopp - the injury situation. First-choice keeper Alisson Becker is out with a hamstring injury, Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss out due to a knee injury and Joel Matip is ACL victim. That means three regular defenders are unavailable for the final. In the midfield, Curtis Jones is definitely sidelined, while thigh victim Dominik Szoboszlai is highly doubtful. That means two of the three regular midfielders are struggling with injuries. The situation in attack is not quite different as Diogo Jota remain out, while Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah are injured too and need to be assessed on Sunday. Some non-regulars are also injured (Ben Doak, Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara) and their absence heavily limits Klopp's rotating options.

Chelsea vs Liverpool Prediction:

I think Pochettino and his men will celebrate. Klopp leads the H2H record between the two managers, having won seven, drawn five and lost just one of his 13 games with Pochettino in all competitions.. The Argentine is looking to secure his first trophy since arriving as Chelsea manager, while Klopp will be bidding to win silverware for the eighth time since moving to Liverpool in 2015. The numbers are on Klopp's side, though I think Pochettino will win here. The main reason for my pick is connect with injury situation. Eight Liverpool's players that would start in this match are injured. Three of them are rated as doubtful (Szoboszlai, Nunez and Salah), but even if they pass the last test it is clear they are not 100 percent ready. Chelsea also have injured players, but Pochettino's roster is bigger and that will make a difference.

Chelsea vs Liverpool Preview: Chelsea To Win Outright @ 2.40 with Everygame