Liverpool and Chelsea lock horns once again as they meet in the 2022 FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.
The pair have already met three times this season, including in the Carabao Cup final back in February. It couldn’t have been tighter that day as the game ended 0-0 after extra-time with Liverpool coming out victorious 11-10 in the penalty shoot-out.
The League Cup victory means Liverpool are still in with a chance of pulling off an unprecedented quadruple. The Reds are still battling it out with Manchester City for the Premier League title and the race is set to go right to the wire.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have also booked their place in the Champions League final following a 5-2 aggregate victory over Villarreal in the semi-finals. Liverpool will now take on Real Madrid in Paris later this month after the La Liga champions completed a stunning comeback against Man City.
However, Klopp will be fully focused on the FA Cup this weekend as he looks to win another piece of silverware against old foes Chelsea.
The Blues head to Wembley in poor form as a late equaliser on Saturday earned Wolves a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, meaning Chelsea have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have lost their way in recent weeks, but they can never be written off in a final so Liverpool will know not to take this task too lightly.
Betting Odds
Liverpool versus Chelsea is one of the biggest matches scheduled this weekend so we’ll see plenty of action in the betting markets. Punters will be flocking to the best online casino sites and bookmakers to place their bets, but it’s important to ensure you get the best available odds.
Currently, Liverpool are the 8/15 favourites to lift the trophy with Chelsea priced at 6/4. Liverpool are even money to get the job done inside 90 minutes with Chelsea available at 13/5. The draw can be backed at 12/5 if you think the match will end all square after normal time.
Finals are usually tight so we aren’t expecting a lot of goals. A 1-1 draw after 90 minutes looks tempting at odds of 11/2. Sadio Mane has been in fine form in recent weeks and he’s priced at 4/1 to open the scoring on Saturday. If we combine Mane as the first scorer in a 1-1 draw, the odds increase to 45/1.
Team News
Liverpool will assess the fitness of Roberto Firmino as he’s only recently recovered from an ankle injury.
Otherwise, Klopp has no other serious injuries to worry about and he may rotate to make use of the full depth of his squad.
Chelsea will check on N’Golo Kante as he’s been carrying a knock lately. Jorginho will also be assessed while Callum Hudson-Odoi remains out with a calf injury. Ben Chilwell won’t play again this season after undergoing knee surgery.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea [after extra time]: This should be another tight game as Tuchel will set his team up to try and contain Liverpool and we could see Chelsea forcing extra time. However, the Reds are a formidable side with an array of attacking talent, and we think that will be the difference at Wembley.
