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EFL Cup | Final
Feb 25, 2024 at 3pm UK
Stamford Bridge
LL

Chelsea
0 - 1
Liverpool


Chilwell (45+3'), Palmer (120+2')
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Bradley (45+3'), Mac Allister (81'), Konate (82'), McConnell (107'), Gomez (120+3')

EFL Cup final: Reasons for Chelsea to be confident of beating Liverpool at Wembley

:Headline: EFL Cup final: Reasons for Chelsea to be confident of beating Liverpool at Wembley:
Ahead of Sunday's EFL Cup final, Sports Mole takes a look at reasons for Chelsea to be confident of overcoming Liverpool at Wembley.
Sports Mole

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.



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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376
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