Chelsea and Liverpool head to Wembley Stadium on Sunday for the Carabao Cup closing, bidding to win the primary silverware of the season.
The 2 sides met lower than a month in the past, with Liverpool romping to a 4-1 victory, however loads has modified since then. Jurgen Klopp believes the Reds aren’t favourites for this one, and whether or not that is truly the case or not, it speaks volumes within the change in each side’ fortunes up to now few weeks.
Accidents have ravaged Liverpool’s squad, whereas Chelsea are unbeaten in three video games and simply put in arguably their greatest efficiency of the season as they held Manchester Metropolis to a 1-1 draw on the Etihad Stadium.
All of the indicators recommend we’re in for a belter of a sport, however the Carabao Cup is more likely to be decided by who comes out on prime in 5 key battles.
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Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are each main damage doubts for Liverpool, whereas Diogo Jota is certainly out after selecting up a nasty-looking damage towards Brentford. So there is a robust likelihood that Colombian winger Luis Diaz turns into the point of interest of Liverpool’s assault at Wembley.
Diaz ought to line up on his favoured left facet, the place he’ll discover the in-form Malo Gusto. The Frenchman made mild work of Manchester Metropolis’s Jeremy Doku just lately and should give the Liverpool man the identical remedy if Chelsea are to get one thing out of this one.
Gusto’s attacking instincts will even have to be tracked by Diaz, who cannot afford to overlook his defensive duties both.
Chelsea have been comfortably second-best everywhere in the pitch in final month’s defeat to Liverpool, however their midfield humbling was maybe the sharpest nail hammered within the coffin. Moises Caicedo bore the brunt of extreme criticism however it was Enzo Fernandez’s non-existent efficiency which was arguably of larger concern.
Since then, Fernandez has erupted. Whether or not it was a tactical tweak or, as Mauricio Pochettino suggests, a bodily change, the 23-year-old is feeling himself and now has the possibility to flip the narrative towards worldwide teammate Alexis Mac Allister.
Mac Allister has been a sensational purchase for Liverpool however may have plenty of work to do on this one, with Curtis Jones undoubtedly out and Dominik Szoboszlai needing a late health check to even earn a spot on the bench.
Nunez might not be match however the sport will nonetheless embrace a bundle of chaos within the type of Nicolas Jackson, whose mix of unpredictability and inconsistency brings again recollections of the Uruguayan from final season.
In Virgil van Dijk, Jackson might be up towards one of many sport’s premier defenders. The Liverpool man will anticipate to come back out on prime and may have watched the issues Jackson prompted Manchester Metropolis final week to make sure he would not fall to the identical destiny.
Ought to Van Dijk maintain Jackson quiet, Chelsea’s assault could battle to get going.
What a distinction six months could make. Chelsea famously beat Liverpool to the £115m signing of Moises Caicedo through the summer time, after which the Reds spent £16m on Wataru Endo – an ageing midfielder who, with all due respect, most Premier League followers had by no means heard of. Liverpool’s so-called ‘panic purchase’ rapidly grew to become a meme on social media.
And but right here we’re, halfway by means of the season, and the tables have turned. Endo has grown into a superb defensive midfielder and offered the form of impression anticipated from Caicedo for £100m cheaper.
Endo will search to maintain issues easy, get well possession and hand it off to his inventive teammates. Caicedo has extra box-to-box duties. Whoever comes out on prime of their respective jobs will doubtless find yourself lifting the trophy.
If Chelsea are to win this, they’re going to want a giant efficiency from their star of the season, Cole Palmer.
Palmer has been lining up on the appropriate in latest weeks and can subsequently be assigned to Andy Robertson, who can not afford to let the Englishman discover his groove. Chelsea might be reliant on Palmer at occasions, so if Robertson shuts that channel, it’s going to doubtless determine the sport.
On the reverse finish of the pitch, Palmer is not recognized for his love of monitoring again, so Robertson may even see some house to assault and whip in a devilish cross or two.
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