Chelsea is set to take on Liverpool in the 2024 Carabao Cup final at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
It's a showdown reminiscent of the 2022 final as Chelsea and Liverpool gear up for battle on Sunday. Securing the EFL Cup would undoubtedly serve as a silver lining for Chelsea in what has otherwise been a challenging season.
For Mauricio Pochettino, it could offer a moment of breathing space, if not redemption, amidst recent scrutiny. The Blues earned their place in the final by defeating Middlesbrough 6-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, setting the stage for a clash at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Liverpool navigated past Leicester City, Bournemouth, West Ham United, and Fulham to secure their spot in the EFL Cup final. Despite facing several injury concerns, they have shown impressive form in recent weeks and are considered favourites to clinch their first domestic honour of the season on Sunday.
Team News
Pochettino is likely to stick with the starting XI from their last outing, which saw them narrowly miss out on victory against Manchester City. Thiago Silva is optimistic about returning from a groin injury, aiming to break his Wembley hoodoo, but Levi Colwill will partner Axel Disasi in central defence if Silva remains unavailable.
On the Liverpool side, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez missed the recent match against Luton Town, but Klopp hopes to have them back for the final. However, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones are sidelined due to injuries sustained in a previous game, while several other players, including Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip, and Ben Doak, remain unavailable.
Predicted lineups
Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Endo, Gravenberch; Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz.
Prediction:
Given Chelsea's recent form, it wouldn't come as a surprise if Pochettino finally leads his young side to a win.
Chelsea to win 2-1
