Chelsea take on Liverpool in this year’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Both sides will be desperate to get their hands on the first available silverware this season, in what is a repeat of the 2022 final.
Date: 25/02/24
Kick-off time: 15:00
Venue: Wembley
This year will see a new team lift the Carabao Cup as Chelsea and Liverpool face each other in a bid to take Manchester United’s title.
Both sides have endured very contrasting seasons so far, with Liverpool fighting for the title and Chelsea languishing in 10th place. The Reds lead the league but are locked in an intense battle with Arsenal and Manchester City. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been extremely underwhelming and have struggled greatly, but a cup final win could be exactly what they need to help them finish the campaign strong.
Jurgen Klopp recently announced his plan to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, and this will be his first opportunity to ensure he will not be leaving emptyhanded. His side entered this competition in the third round, where they were drawn with Championship side Leicester at Anfield. The Foxes took a very early lead, but the hosts were able to turn it around in the second half with goals from Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota. They were rewarded with a trip to Bournemouth, which was closely fought. Nunez scored the winner six minutes after Justin Kluivert equalised for the Cherries. A much easier 5-1 win followed against West Ham, which set up a two-legged semi-final with Fulham. Liverpool came out on top 3-2 on aggregate.
Chelsea, on the other hand, entered a round earlier due to not being involved in any European competition. They faced AFC Wimbledon in the second round, and were handed an early scare as they went behind to a penalty. Noni Madueke levelled the score with a penalty of his own, before Enzo Fernandez scored the winner. The Blues were subsequently given two home draws, in which they beat both Brighton and Blackburn. A tricky tie with Newcastle followed, and as they were heading to a 1-0 defeat, Mykhailo Mudryk pounced in the 92nd minute to send it to penalties. Djordje Petrovic was the hero as Chelsea advanced. They then faced their first away trip of the competition as they travelled to Middlesbrough in the first leg of the semi-finals. Cole Palmer missed a number of chances as his side lost 1-0. The return leg saw them blow their Championship opponents away, however, as they thrashed Boro 6-1.
There has not been much to split the two sides at all in recent seasons. Seven of the last eight meetings in all competitions ended in draws, including four 0-0 results in a row. Two of these came in cup finals, and Liverpool won both on penalties. The 2022 Carabao and FA Cup finals were contested by both Chelsea and Liverpool, and the Blues will be hoping they are on the right side of the result this time. They have met twice this season, drawing 1-1 on the opening weekend of the season, before Klopp’s men broke the streak of seven straight ties with a 4-1 win at Anfield at the end of January.
