On 27th February, Wembley will host the final of the Carabao Cup, involving Liverpool and Chelsea. Off the back of their recent Club World Cup victory, Chelsea will have eyes glued to the potential of adding to their trophy tally of the season, whereas Liverpool are desperate to claim their first piece of silverware for the season and also to keep the quadruple alive. Whilst both sides are glistening in cup history, present managers Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have not won any domestic trophies.
For Liverpool and Trent Alexander Arnold, winning the Carabao Cup and three more trophies this season is still a major possibility. To BBC Radio 5 Live, the England international said, “The emphasis is on all four competitions and go as far as we can. In our mind we don’t see any reason why we can’t win all four, to be honest.
“I was dreaming of doing this in 2012 at school. I never thought I would be in this position, but I’ve been very lucky and fortunate so far.” He added, “I’ve been blessed with the path that I have been put on.
“I always feel there is a buzz around this time of the season, for me especially. I enjoy these big games, the ones you need to win. The ones that are either going to win you trophies or lose you trophies. These are the games we want to be playing in.”
Almost surprisingly to many football fans, Manchester City were knocked out of the Cup against West Ham on penalties, in the Round of 16. Subsequently, there will be a different name on the trophy for 4 years due to City winning it for the past 4 consecutive seasons. The Reds will also be looking to end a 10 year wait to lift a domestic cup, whilst Chelsea, on the other hand, lifted it over 5 years ago.
However, Chelsea have issues with the form of their main striker – Romelu Lukaku. In their last Premier League outing, in their 1-0 victory to Crystal Palace, Lukaku managed a record low number of touches in a 90 minute game (7). These touches included one pass from kick-off, some from offside positions and multiple flicks. In a pre-game interview, manager Thomas Tuchel, outlined that his struggle and dip in form may be a consequence of mental fatigue:
“He played a lot of matches. We had a similar situation with Jorginho, one of our captains, because we feel he’s a little mentally tired. The focus is on Romelu that I understand, but it’s a similar situation as Jorginho.
“The decisions are made clear, and the players accept. Once you play for Chelsea, you accept the team goes first and that’s why there are no hard feelings, not from Romelu or from me.”
Overall, the game has a potential to produce magic and excitement. Both sides have had injury boosts, with Diogo Jota available for Liverpool after damage to an ankle ligament, and Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech both being available after injury scares on Wednesday vs Lille. The atmosphere at Wembley will not fail to impress – both teams will be spurred on by their fans – and the game will be close, with no clear favourite on the day.
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