Chelsea vs Liverpool Prediction & Betting Tips (25 February)

In the previous rounds of this League Cup, Chelsea showed a good face to defeat Wimbledon 2-1, Brighton 1-0, Blackburn 2-0, Newcastle 1-1, qualification following penalties and Middlesbrough 6-2 at the outcome of the two-way matches. This final constitutes a great opportunity for the London team which does not at all meet expectations in the championship. The Blues are currently 10th in the Premier League with only 35 points taken in 25 games. After having suffered 2 losses against Liverpool 4-1 and Wolverhampton 2-4, they were more to their advantage during the last 2 days. Chelsea first won at Crystal Palace 1-3 before taking a good point at Manchester City last weekend 1-1. Note that Mauricio Pochettino's men are still present in the round of 16 of the FA Cup where they will host Leeds on Wednesday. Winner of this League Cup in 2022, Liverpool are announced favorites to regain the trophy this year. In order to reach the final, the Mersey club in turn dismissed Leicester 3-1, Bournemouth 1-2, West Ham 5-1 and Fulham 3-2 at the end of the two-way matches.

For the last season on the bench of Jürgen Klopp, the Reds are involved in the fight for the Premier League title. They are now at the top of the standings with 1 game more and 4 points ahead of their closest pursuer. After a string of good results, Virgil van Dijk's teammates suffered a setback when they lost 3-1 at Arsenal in early February. They resumed their march forward afterwards with victories against Burnley 3-1, Brentford 1-4 and Luton Town this week 4-1. In the Europa League, Liverpool will face Sparta Prague in the round of 16. Next Wednesday, Jürgen Klopp's protégés host Southampton in the FA Cup.

For this final, the Chelsea coach still has to deal with numerous withdrawals. In the infirmary we find captain Reece James, important defenders Thiago Silva and Badiashile, the long-term absentee Fofana and potential starters Cucurella, Lavia, Ugochukwu and Chukwuemeka. Also absent recently, goalkeeper No. 1 Sanchez is uncertain. Scorer against the Cityzens last weekend, Raheem Sterling (6 goals and 3 assists in PL) should start in the attacking trio alongside the influential Palmer (10 goals and 6 assists in PL) and Jackson (7 goals and 3 assists in PL). Since his return from injury, French international Nkunku has struggled to find his place. He could start on the bench again this Sunday.

Like Chelsea, Liverpool are very weakened for this League Cup final. The packages of executives Alisson, Alexander-Arnold and Szoboszlai are obviously detrimental, as is that of striker Diogo Jota. Also taking their place in the infirmary are midfielders Jones, Thiago Alcantara and Bajcetic as well as defender Matip. Finally, the participation of the starting attackers Salah and Nunez is not assured. In their absence, Elliott (2 goals and 2 assists in PL), Gakpo (5 goals and 3 assists in PL) and Luis Diaz (6 goals and 3 assists in PL) have all scored this week in the league but Klopp hopes to be able to count on Salah (15 goals and 9 assists in PL) and Nunez (9 goals and 7 assists in PL). The central hinge should be made up of the captains van Dijk and Konaté.