Chelsea predicted lineup vs Liverpool

Mauricio Pochettino will aim to secure his first piece of silverware as Chelsea head coach when they take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

The Argentinian has led the Blues to the final of the competition in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, much like he did at Tottenham before being defeated by his current club in 2015. Incidentally, that was the last time the west London side won the Carabao Cup.

Pochettino has a poor personal record against Klopp, winning just one of their 13 meetings so far, but the mood has improved after claiming a valuable point away from home against Manchester City last time out.

Here’s the starting XI Chelsea could deploy for Sunday’s clash at Wembley.

GK: Djordje Petrovic – Robert Sanchez is available once again but Petrovic has performed well in the Spaniard’s absence and should get the nod under the arch.

RB: Malo Gusto – Managed arguably the best performance of his brief Chelsea career so far at Man City and will continue with Reece James still sidelined.

CB: Axel Disasi – The Frenchman’s 16 blocks at the Etihad were the most by a Chelsea player in a Premier League match for eight years.

CB: Levi Colwill – Was excellent alongside Disasi last week and will stay in the starting XI if Thiago Silva doesn’t recover from injury in time.

LB: Ben Chilwell – Has reclaimed his left-back spot after returning from injury. With Luke Shaw recently downed by a fitness problem of his own, there’s a chance to make the England position his as well ahead of Euro 2024.

CM: Moises Caicedo – Attracted some heat for a heavy challenge on Jeremy Doku which could have resulted in a red card on another day.

CM: Enzo Fernandez – Was rated as the fifth-best regista in world football by Inter star Hakan Calhanoglu. Then again, Calhanoglu did put himself at number one, so take those rankings with a pinch of salt.

RW: Cole Palmer – Is Chelsea’s joint-leading goalscorer in the Carabao Cup this season with two alongside Fernandez and Noni Madueke.

AM: Conor Gallagher – Remains a transfer target for London rivals Tottenham if a new contract with Chelsea can’t be agreed. Scored three goals in two games before the City draw.

LW: Raheem Sterling – Enjoyed his return to his former club last week and can go level with Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero as the most successful players in Carabao Cup history with six trophies if Chelsea are successful this weekend.

ST: Nicolas Jackson – Has underperformed his xG of 11.3 with seven Premier League goals this season, but that’ll be forgotten if he comes up with a match-winner on Sunday.