Chelsea take on Liverpool in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, looking to end a three-year trophy drought and secure their first success in the competition since 2015.
The Blues were humiliated by the Reds at Anfield last month, falling to a 4-1 defeat, so they head to Wembley as massive underdogs.
However, they have turned their fortunes around since then and will hope they can capitalise on Liverpool’s injury problems.
Chelsea are also eager to end their awful record at Wembley after failing to win any of their last five domestic finals at the stadium, including three FA Cups and two EFL Cups.
The Wembley clash is a repeat of the 2022 EFL Cup final when Liverpool beat Chelsea via penalty shoot-outs. However, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is optimistic his side can win the title this time around.
The Blues head into the final on the back of a three-match unbeaten run, and Pochettino hopes his side can extend their recent form as he eyes his first major honour in England.
“It means a lot for us, the coaching staff, to have the possibility to arrive on the final and to challenge a team like Liverpool to win our first title here,” Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference.
“We have 90 minutes to achieve that, and yes, we are going to fight. The team is ready, we are going to be very competitive, and it is a massive chance for us.”
Chelsea have also been handed a major boost with Pochettino confirming that the experienced Thiago Silva is available for selection, although we expect Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill to retain their place in the starting line-up.
The centre-back duo were impressive in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City last weekend and were unfortunate not to depart the Etihad Stadium with a clean sheet.
Pochettino also confirmed that others need to be assessed ahead of Sunday’s showpiece event, but we expect the manager to maintain the line-up that faced City last weekend.
Chelsea potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Dorde Petrovic; Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling; Nicolas Jackson.
