When Liverpool plays Chelsea on Sunday, it will renew a modern-day rivalry between the red side of Merseyside and the blue half of London. The two teams became modern-day rivals not due to proximity to each other but because of their unbridled success in England. The rivalry kick-started in the 2005 Champions League Semifinal when Luis Garcia drilled a shot in the fourth minute of the second leg which is described as the “Ghost Goal” because the ball at first appeared to have not crossed the entire line but was awarded to Liverpool anyway. The match finished 1-0, and the Reds went on to win in the finals in a famous comeback over AC Milan. The animosity between the fans grew because Liverpool lost the Premier League title in 2014 due to a loss to Chelsea. The game became famous because Liverpool’s star player Steven Gerrard slipped near his own goal with the football, and allowed an easy goal to Chelsea’s Demba Ba. Chelsea fans still sing songs mocking Liverpool fans for that disastrous result. It is this backdrop that will make Sunday’s final tantalizing to watch. In this article, we will provide a preview of the showdown.
Chelsea
The West London team will head into this matchup brimming with confidence. The team is on a six-game winning streak and unbeaten in the past seven games after the loss to Manchester City in early January. The club recently added another trophy to the cabinet by winning the Fifa Club World Cup and declaring them as World Champions. The strength in this team lies in their defensive setup under Thomas Tuchel. In 25 matches, they have conceded only 18 goals which statistically makes them tied for 2nd in the rankings. However, their challenge for the Premier League title has sputtered due to the inability to convert chances. They have scored only 49 goals this season in the league, and the frontline has been disappointing with Belgian Romelu Lukaku leading the attack. The forward is coming off a disastrous match last Saturday against Crystal Palace in which he had 0 touches in the opposition box, 0/4 in duels, 0 shots, 0 chances created, and only four accurate passes. Lukaku was the big signing in the summer from Inter Milan that cost the club $135 million dollars. Lukaku has failed to deliver goals needed by the blues. The team is still winning despite a blunt attack but they will need the Belgian to respond to the criticism and rise to the occasion at Wembley. Look for Kai Havertz and America’s Christian Pulisic to provide the needed spark to bring Chelsea to glory.
Liverpool
The red machine is starting to catch fire heading down the final stretch of this season. The team is currently on a 12 game unbeaten run and hammered Leeds United 6-0 in their last match. Liverpool managed to survive a tricky period in which three of their star players were away in the African Confederations tournament. The team has won all their Champions League game this season, and Manchester City’s lead to only 3 points in the Premier League. The team has proven to be the most prolific attacking unit in Europe by scoring 70 goals in 26 Premier League matches and over 100 in all competitions. However, the team will give chances to the opposition to counterattack due to a high line that teams look to exploit. The players to watch on the Reds are Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane. Salah is an ex-Chelsea and he has scored four goals against his former team. The Egyptian is in fine form having scored 19 goals to be the striker in the league and 10 assists which ties him with his teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold. Sadio Mane recently delivered the African title for his home country of Senegal and will be looking to lift another trophy this Sunday. The Senegalese has scored 11 goals in the Premier League and make Liverpool a formidable outfit.
TV Guide
In the United States, the Carabao Cup 2022 final can be watched live on the ESPN network at 11:30am. The game will also be available to stream live online using the ESPN+ app.
Predictions
I think this will be a close game. The teams played drawn games in the Premier League ending in 1-1 and 2-2 scorelines. The teams play similarly by winning the ball high up the pitch and playing with swift counterattacks. However, I think Liverpool will win because they are capable of converting chances and being a better force on the attack end. I have Liverpool winning 2-1.
