The title goes to Germany
A duel of superlatives awaits us on Sunday afternoon on the island. In England, the final of the League Cup will take place between Chelsea and Liverpool. According to the odds, the Reds are given slight advantages in terms of winning the title. However, as these advantages are only marginal, an extremely exciting and high-class final is to be expected.
In any case, we are looking forward to the clash between the two German coaches Thomas Tuchel and Jürgen Klopp, who once made their beginnings on the sidelines at FSV Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. Now both could be crowned EFL Cup winners for the first time, as in the past four seasons the winner has always been Manchester City!
Before we make a prediction on the outcome of the match between Chelsea and Liverpool, it is advisable to take a closer look at the form curves of both teams. The bottom line, however, is that even at first glance there are many indications that the teams will not give each other anything and may even neutralise each other. A goal spectacle is therefore out of the question. Instead, it can be assumed that the first or at most the second goal in regulation time could decide the outcome.
Chelsea – Statistics & current form
After last year’s Champions League triumph, the European Super Cup win and the success at the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago, Chelsea Football Club is looking to win another title at national level.
The last time the Blues won the EFL Cup was in 2014/15, and in 2018/19 the Londoners lost out to the Citizens on penalties in the final. Historically, this is the sixth overall victory in the less important of the two cup competitions in England.
On the way to this final, coach Thomas Tuchel’s team already had to go to penalties twice. In the first two rounds against Aston Villa and Southampton, they only managed a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes in front of their home crowd. The following matches against city rivals Brentford (2-0) and in the semi-finals against Tottenham, where the first and second legs were won 2-0 and 1-0 respectively, were more convincing. Remarkable: In none of the five previous League Cup matches would the over 2.5 have been crowned with success.
Chelsea once again in finals mode
Generally, the Blues clearly stand for few goals in such important “Do or Die” games. Ten of these eleven games this season, i.e. in the Club World Cup, the European Super Cup, the CL round of 16 first leg or at national cup level ended with a maximum of two goals. It is hard to imagine that this trend will not continue in a final against an opponent of at least equal quality. Consequently, we recommend a bet on Under 2.5 between Chelsea and Liverpool.
If we compare the form of the Londoners with the condition of their opponents from Merseyside, it is understandable that the Tuchel team is given the slightly worse chances. In terms of football, the Blues have rarely been convincing. On the other hand, they have kept a clean sheet defensively in four of the last six competitive games. A defensive, cautious approach should also lead to success on Sunday.
In terms of personnel, the situation has also eased somewhat. With Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech, a trio returned to training during the week who were not available for the Champions League match against Lille (2-0). Another interesting question is whether the German coach will again do without Romelu Lukaku. Should this be the case, the “man for the important goals”, Kai Havertz, will have to take over his role again.
Predicted Chelsea line-up:
Kepa; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Mount, Pulisic; Havertz
Last matches played by Chelsea:
Champions League Finals
02/22 2022 – Chelsea London 2 – 0 Lille
Premier League
02/19 2022 – Crystal Palace 0 – 1 Chelsea London
Cup for clubs
02/12 2022 – Chelsea London 2 – 1 Palmeiras
02/09 2022 – Al Hilal 0 – 1 Chelsea London
FA Cup
02/05 2022 – Chelsea London 2 – 1 Plymouth
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
For Jürgen Klopp, Sunday will be the second League Cup final of his career with Liverpool FC. The Reds also reached the final in 2016, but lost out to Manchester City. In subsequent seasons, the 2019 Champions League winners often failed to reach the Carabao Cup early. The ex-Dortmund player must therefore be said to have a certain aversion to this competition due to the additional burden.
It is therefore all the more surprising that the 2020 champions have once again managed to make it to the title game. LFC owes this in particular to a strong defensive performance in the previous rounds.
The Reds have kept their clean sheet in four of their five games so far. Only in the quarter-finals just before Christmas, when the coach sent an improved C-team onto the pitch and despite trailing by two goals against Leicester City, did they still manage to advance to the next round.
Liverpool have been strong of late
Once in the final, the men from Merseyside will naturally want to snatch the title. A successful Chelsea vs. Liverpool prediction on the latter team is primarily based on the absolute top form of the last few weeks. In the Premier League, LFC have won six times in a row and in the Champions League, they were victorious in their round of 16 first leg at Inter Milan. The attack is working very well, but the defence has also become much more stable compared to the previous season.
With Roberto Firmino out of action and Diogo Jota still a question mark, Luis Diaz will once again get his chance to start. So far, the Colombian has been convincing and represents the third exorbitantly good offensive weapon alongside Salah and Mane.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Mane, Diaz
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Premier League
02/23 2022 – Liverpool FC 6 – 0 Leeds
02/19 2022 – Liverpool FC 3 – 1 Norwich
Champions League Final
02/16 2022 – Inter Milan 0 – 2 Liverpool FC
Premier League
02/13 2022 – Burnley 0 – 1 Liverpool FC
02/10 2022 – Liverpool FC 2 – 0 Leicester
Chelsea – Liverpool Tip
Two of the best football teams on the continent face each other in the EFL Cup Final on Sunday night. Although the League Cup is often described as less significant and prestigious compared to the FA Cup, there is of course a highly anticipated final between two German coaches this weekend.
We see slight advantages for the Reds, who have been even more convincing in terms of football recently and who naturally have a lot of individual quality, especially on the offensive. Nevertheless, the task will not be easy for the Klopp team, especially as the Blues have become a very uncomfortable opponent under Thomas Tuchel, who feel particularly at home in such knockout games.
Given the nature of the final and the very strong defensive lines of both teams on balance, we don’t expect many goals to be scored.
