Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Liverpool are not the favourites heading into Sunday’s Carabao Cup final clash with Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
After a transitional 2022/23 season, the Reds have been firmly back to their best this campaign – sitting top of the Premier League table and in contention to win the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League and the Carabao Cup in what is now going to be Klopp’s swansong.
Due to the Reds fighting on four fronts heading into the second half of the 2023/24 season, injuries have began to pile up in recent weeks with Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota among the star players set to miss this weekend’s final.
Mohamed Salah is also a doubt for the game against Chelsea due to a recurrence of the hamstring injury he suffered at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking after Liverpool’s thumping win over Luton Town in midweek, despite beating Chelsea 4-1 at the end of January, due said injuries manager Klopp insisted to the press that his side aren’t the favourites heading into the clash with Chelsea.
“Will we be big favourites? Definitely not,” Klopp said. “Since we [last] played [Chelsea], they have improved a lot and it will be tricky.”
Chelsea followed up their defeat to Liverpool in January with another at the hands of Wolves, but have since gone unbeaten in all competitions, knocking Aston Villa out of the FA Cup and holding Premier League champions Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Like Liverpool, however the Blues head into the final at Wembley with a number of key players currently out injured. Veteran centre-back Thiago Silva is a doubt due to a groin injury, while starting goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and captain Reece James are both sidelined for the foreseeable too.
