The first major domestic final of the season takes place on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea and Liverpool battle it out for silverware.
A repeat of the 2022 EFL Cup final, when Liverpool won on penalties after a 0-0 draw, this encounter promises to be a more open affair, which should lead to more goals.
- Liverpool to win and both teams to score
- Luis Diaz to score at anytime
- Enzo Fernandez to be booked
Changes Should Lead To Chances
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the Carabao Cup showpiece two seasons ago, with major personnel changes at both clubs.
After spending big money in the summer and the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout, Chelsea’s season has been inconsistent to say the least.
The Blues currently sit 10th in the Premier League, a massive 25 points behind their opponents, but there have been some encouraging signs in recent weeks.
Pochettino’s men are unbeaten in their last three matches (two wins and a draw) and have found the net in their last five matches in all competitions.
Despite a raft of injuries, Liverpool continue their charge on four fronts as they look to end Jurgen Klopp’s era in a memorable way.
They remain top of the Premier League and are still finding the net with regularity at the other end, with 26 goals scored in the last seven games across all competitions. It’s also worth noting though that they haven’t kept a clean sheet in those seven matches.
LIVERPOOL TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
In-Form Diaz Can Find The Target
With Diogo Jota sidelined and with doubts over Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s abundance of attacking threat has diminished over the last couple of weeks.
But Luis Diaz has come into form at just the right time, with the Colombian scoring three times in the last five games and having a big role in the Arsenal own-goal in the 3-1 defeat at the Emirates.
One of those recent Diaz goals came in the 4-1 win over Chelsea at the end of January, with the forward rediscovering his goalscoring touch.
With all the current injury concerns in the Reds camp, it seems almost a given that Diaz will be one of the starting forward three at Wembley.
Midfield Argentinian Battle
One of the more fascinating battles in Sunday’s final is the clash of two Argentinian team-mates, as Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister collide in the middle of the park.
The return from international duty of Wataru Endo means that Reds ace Mac Allister has been playing in a bit more of an advanced midfield role.
That means the former Brighton man may face up more regularly with Fernandez than they did in the recent league encounter between the two teams.
Fernandez will be part of a double-pivot in front of an inexperienced Chelsea defence and will be tasked with trying to keep Liverpool at arm’s length as much as possible.
That is likely to see the World Cup winner having to make last-ditch tackles and trying to break up the play, which could in turn lead to a seventh yellow card of the season.
