Sunday, the stage is set for Mauricio Pochettino to not only win his first trophy with Chelsea, but his first team trophy in his time managing in England as a whole. The Blues will face Liverpool in the English Football League Cup at Wembley. Looking at the Premier League table would suggest that Chelsea are up against it, with Liverpool atop the league and the Blues in 10th adrift by 25 points. But, in a one-off match, anything can happen.
Liverpool enter with their own concerns as Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez missed their midweek match against Luton Town while Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander Arnold, and Joel Matip have already been ruled out of the EFL Cup final but what does Chelase have to do in order to come away with the trophy?
Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher control the midfield
Cole Palmer has gotten a lot of plaudits this season, and for good reason. He has been involved in 16 Premier League goals for the Blues at only 21, after making the move to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City. But another player who has been critical to Chelsa's goal scoring is Conor Gallagher. A player who was close to being deemed surplus to requirements, Gallagher has broken out this season helping pace the attack.
Creating the most chances on the team at 32, Gallagher has four assists and two goals as he can sit in deeper positions or operate as a 10 allowing Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo to rotate as needed. Midfield is the strength of the Blues and if they can win that battle against Liverpool, it will go a long way to emerging from the match with a victory.
Rely on Djordje Petrovic
Getting a chance in net when Robert Sanchez went down with an injury, there has been no looking back for the former New England Revolution keeper as he has become the starter for the Blues. He's been solid in net, making 69% of saves that come his way/ Petrovic has been getting stronger as he gets more matches under his belt. In Chelsea's last match against Liverpool, the shot stopper allowed four goals while facing 28 shots from the Reds. If this match gets as slanted as that one did, there won't be much that Petrovic can do, but if the game is balanced, expect big saves to be the difference.
Get something out of Raheem Sterling
When Raheem Sterling scores a goal, Chelsea generally gets a result. Only one of the five league matches that he has scored in has led to the Blues dropping points, a 4-1 loss to Newcastle United. It's an issue that Sterling has only scored in five of his 23 league appearances, but when he finds the net it means that Chelsea's counterattack is working properly. As Liverpool will control possession, Chelsea will need to absorb attacks and then hit back on the counter which is where Sterling's pace comes into play.
The England international has struggled since his move to Stamford Bridge, but in one of his biggest games since joining the Blues, it will be critical that Sterling is able to take pressure off other members of the attack.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 25 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Location: Wembley Stadium -- London, England
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Chelsea +200; Draw +260; Liverpool +100
