Liverpool travel to Anfield South to take on Mauricio Pochetinno’s Chelsea in a highly-anticipated fixture…

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Wembley awaits for a Liverpool team looking to begin a fairytale final season for Jurgen Klopp, as they face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup Final at 3 pm this Sunday. Both sides have mounting injury lists with multiple first-team members confirmed unfit for Liverpool indicating a closer game than the league table may suggest. This will be the third domestic cup final in as many seasons involving the two sides, with Liverpool winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the 2021/2022 season following penalty shoot-out victories after two 0-0 draws. The defensive injuries for Chelsea alongside the Reds’ recent scoring prowess, averaging over 3 goals a game in 2024, means a third 0-0 is unlikely, but a tight cagey affair can be expected. 

Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones have all been ruled out in recent weeks, joining Thiago, Joel Matip and Stefan Bajcetic on the seemingly ever-growing injury list. Both Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez missed the midweek victory against Luton as a precaution and it remains to be seen if either will make the matchday squad. If Salah and Nunez return, it will be a huge boost for Liverpool, especially due to the speed of the two forwards. Wembley is a larger-than-average pitch, and combining Alexis Mac Allister’s vision with Salah and Nunez’s pace could cause Chelsea significant problems. The pitch size could affect Klopp’s team choice, with Connor Bradley likely to start due to his high energy levels and recent showings of offensive and defensive capabilities, with his pace perhaps preferable to Joe Gomez when up against likely opponent Raheem Sterling. Gomez is still likely to start, with Robertson still working his way up to full-match fitness, and the rested Ibrahima Konate should partner the imperious Virgil Van Dijk as the Dutchman aims to lift his first trophy as Liverpool captain. Endo will undoubtedly join Mac Allister as the Number 6 in the midfield three. Jones would be the preference as the left-sided number 8, but after limping off against Brentford, Ryan Gravenberch may start instead, or perhaps Harvey Elliott, if Nunez and Salah return and he is not required in the front three. Gravenberch has arguably disappointed since he joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, but his past two performances have shown improvements and his physicality and ball-carrying ability could prove a better choice against an aggressive Chelsea midfield of Enzo Fernandez, Connor Gallagher, and pantomime villain Moises Caicedo. This could allow Elliot to flourish off the bench, which has become his speciality in recent times. Caoimhin Kelleher was always set to start the final, and although he is an obvious downgrade from the world-class Alisson, his form in recent games has improved.

Chelsea’s injury list is if anything longer than Liverpool’s but they aren’t missing as many key names as the Reds. Reece James, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana are all long-term defensive injuries, whilst Thiago Silva is a doubt. This means a back four of Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto is likely to start – the same back four that did an impressive job of gaining a point away at Manchester City last weekend. In attack, Cole Palmer will be the major threat playing between the lines, with his battle against Mac Allister likely to be key. Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling are also likely to start, but Liverpool should be aware of the threat of Christopher Nkunku off the bench, especially in the latter stages of the game, or extra time. 

If Chelsea follow a similar game plan to the one that saw them draw to City, which is likely given Liverpool’s similar level of attacking threat, then Liverpool may struggle to break the Chelsea team down. In previous seasons Klopp’s side struggled against low blocks, but recent victories against Norwich, Burnley and Luton suggest this is a problem of the past. Mauricio Pochettino set Chelsea up to hit City on the counter, with Palmer and Sterling dropping to assist the fullbacks. This left large gaps between the full backs and centre backs, zones which defensive midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo occupied, creating a strong compact set-up that City struggled to break down. City eventually switched to attacking back post areas rather than playing through small gaps in the Chelsea line. This resulted in multiple chances for Haaland and the equaliser came from an initial blocked shot from the back post. For Liverpool, this means the combination of Bradley’s crossing and Nunez/Gakpo’s heading could be crucial if Chelsea set up similarly. Given the way Liverpool dispatched Chelsea 4-1 in the league just a few weeks ago, it’sunlikely Pochettino will make the mistake of playing so openly, especially with Wembley’s huge area and Liverpool’s outstanding ability to attack at pace. 

The mentality of Klopp’s team in recent months has been special, the players and fans are so desperate to get Klopp at least one final trophy and this desire should help push Liverpool to a win. If Salah returns the spine of Van Dijk, Mac Allister and Salah should give the Reds enough quality to beat what has been a subpar Chelsea team in recent times. Yet previous finals have shown this difference in quality shouldn’t lead to overconfidence and Chelsea can pull off a shock, especially against a Liverpool team missing arguably five of its best starting team.