Chelsea and Liverpool will do battle for the first major domestic silverware of the season on Sunday afternoon when they square off in the EFL Cup final.
The two teams travel to Wembley Stadium on the back of contrasting campaigns, with Liverpool sitting at the top of the Premier League standings at a time when their upcoming opponents occupy 10th position.
Liverpool also have the advantage of having overpowered Chelsea by a 4-1 scoreline in a fixture at Anfield on January 31, yet should that necessarily mean that the West Londoners deserve to be regarded as clear outsiders?
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at a number of reasons why Chelsea supporters can be optimistic about recording a surprise victory over Jurgen Klopp's side this weekend.
PERFORMANCE AGAINST LIVERPOOL AT STAMFORD BRIDGE
In his first competitive game in charge, Mauricio Pochettino was given the daunting prospect of hosting Liverpool, with defeat a realistic possibility given the amount of attacking players that Klopp selected in his starting lineup for the occasion.
However, Chelsea somehow restricted Liverpool to just one goal during the first half before Axel Disasi netted an equaliser eight minutes before half time, keeping the Blues in the contest.
Despite the expectation that Liverpool would find a second wind, it was Chelsea who looked the stronger and fitter after the break and they came away feeling disappointed with a 1-1 draw.
The starting lineups will be considerably different on this occasion, with Liverpool perhaps crucially not having to use Alexis Mac Allister as the most defensive member of a midfield three, but Chelsea showed that they have the capabilities to ruffle Liverpool's feathers.
RECORD AGAINST BIG CLUBS
Chelsea have since lost 4-1 to Liverpool in the reverse fixture, but that is one of just two defeats that Chelsea have suffered against the current top five in the standings.
In three encounters with Arsenal and Manchester City, Chelsea have come away with draws, albeit the 2-2 scoreline with the former being one of disappointment having held a two-goal lead.
Theoretically, holding Man City to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium last weekend is ideal preparation for another monumental task, and Chelsea have scored in seven of eight games against top-five opposition in all competitions during 2023-24.
GROWING UNITY UNDER POCHETTINO
Four days after the aforementioned embarrassment at Anfield, Chelsea would lose 4-2 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, leading to suggestions that Pochettino could be on the brink of being replaced.
There was said to be disharmony in the ranks, yet Chelsea responded with 3-1 victories away at Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round and at Crystal Palace in the league.
Combined with the manner of their performance at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday, Chelsea look far more of a collective unit than they were at the end of January.
That needs to continue in the long run, though, with Chelsea having not gone more than four games in a row without suffering defeat all season.
LIVERPOOL'S INJURY CONCERNS
Liverpool have recently been handed at least a double injury blow with Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota being ruled out of Sunday's final.
Furthermore, there are doubts over Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, and goalkeeper Alisson Becker has seemingly also been ruled out, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, judging by the comments of Klopp ahead of Liverpool's encounter with Luton Town on Wednesday.
Klopp is still in a position where, if a worst-case scenario materialises, he can go with Harvey Elliott, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz as his front three, as well as bring in Ryan Gravenberch for Jones.
Nevertheless, there can be no denying that every star name missing for Liverpool represents a boost for Chelsea, albeit at a time when they have injury issues themselves.
Read more on Chelsea vs Liverpool
- EFL Cup final: Chelsea's route to Wembley ahead of Liverpool showdown
- EFL Cup final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool - past League Cup meetings
- EFL Cup final: Reasons for Chelsea to be confident of beating Liverpool at Wembley
- Liverpool injury, suspension list vs. Chelsea
- Chelsea injury, suspension list vs. Liverpool
- EFL Cup final: All-time combined Chelsea-Liverpool XI
- EFL Cup final: Reasons for Liverpool to be confident of beating Chelsea
- EFL Cup final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool Combined XI
- Click here to read our full preview for Chelsea vs Liverpool
- How Liverpool could line up against Chelsea
- How Chelsea could line up against Liverpool
- Chelsea vs. Liverpool: Head-to-head record and past meetings
- EFL Cup final: Mohamed Salah record vs. Chelsea
- EFL Cup final: Jurgen Klopp vs. Mauricio Pochettino head-to-head record
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