Carabao Cup Final: Chelsea vs Liverpool EFL Odds
Liverpool Treble Dreams Alive
Chelsea Going for First Trophy Under Pochettino
Liverpool are still in contention for all of the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup in Jurgen Klopp’s final season. On Sunday, Liverpool could win their first trophy of the season when they take on Chelsea in the EFL Cup final.
The two sides will meet at London’s famed Wembley Stadium and the Blues have their first opportunity to win silverware under Mauricio Pochettino. With Liverpool’s domestic treble dreams alive, we’ll take a closer look at the Chelsea vs Liverpool EFL odds.
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Day/Time:
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Chelsea vs Liverpool Head-to-Head
The last three times Chelsea and Liverpool have met in finals, the match has finished level. In the 2022 EFL Cup and FA Cup finals and the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final, Liverpool managed to defeat Chelsea in penalties.
In fact, seven of the last eight meetings between these teams have finished in a draw. Liverpool broke the draw streak at the end of January by defeating Chelsea 4-1 in the Premier League. Chelsea have won just two of their last 16 games vs Liverpool, in all competitions.
Unpredictable Chelsea Finding Their Footing
Chelsea gave Manchester City a run for their money last Saturday, as the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League. It was an excellent test for the Blues ahead of Sunday’s EFL Cup final vs Liverpool.
Chelsea were excellent on the counter attack and made Man City’s backline look rather ordinary. Nicolas Jackson found Raheem Sterling in the 42nd minute for the opening goal of the match.
The visiting Blues were just a few minutes away from victory when Rodri scored an equalizer for City. It marked Chelsea’s third straight match unbeaten and they’ve averaged two goals per game over their last five.
Chelsea may be in 10th place in the EPL but they’re only three points outside of a European place at the moment. They’re also unbeaten in cup competitions this season, as they’re also still alive in the FA Cup.
A long injury list is part of the reason why Chelsea have been so inconsistent this season. For Sunday’s final, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile and Carney Chukwuemeka are all out. Meanwhile, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez are doubtful.
While Sanchez has been out, Djordje Petrovic has filled in quite well in goal. Heading into this one, Conor Gallagher has scored three goals in his last three matches for Chelsea. The Chelsea vs Liverpool EFL odds currently price the Blues as +230 underdogs.
Liverpool Potentially Missing Key Players
Despite missing a bunch of first team players, Liverpool managed to blow away Luton Town 4-1 at Anfield on Wednesday. The Reds got off to a slow start, as Luton struck first and held the lead until the second half.
Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk scored a header off a corner to equalize. Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott all got on the scoresheet as well. Midfielder Alexis MacAllister provided two assists for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Both Darwin Nuñez and Mo Salah missed the match with muscle injuries but they may be in contention to play on Sunday. Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Alisson, Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara figure to be out longer term.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold are major doubts for Sunday’s EFL Cup Final as well. Even though they’ve dealt with a long list of injures, Liverpool have been an excellent soccer betting pick lately.
The EFL Cup Final odds list Liverpool as +115 90-minute favorites and they’ve won five of their last six matches, in all competitions. On Wednesday, they also became the first team in Europe’s top five leagues to have five players reach 10 goal contributions this season.
All of Gakpo, Diaz, Jota, Salah and Nuñez have reached that figure overall. No matter who is out, Klopp seems to find a way to tinker with his lineup to get results.
Chelsea vs Liverpool Match Analysis & Odds
Chelsea are not playing in European competition this season, which is a major disappointment for them. Still, the EFL Cup is a qualifier for one of the European tournaments, the UEFA Europa Conference League.
If Chelsea finish outside of the top seven in the Premier League, this is their only chance to play in Europe next season. Silverware would be nice for Liverpool to win, in Klopp’s final season but they have bigger fish to fry.
Regardless, Liverpool will go for it here and the Chelsea vs Liverpool EFL odds price the Reds as +115 favorites. Punters can back Chelsea at +210 odds and a draw sits at +260 odds.
Given the history in this fixture, a draw might not be a bad pick. Bettors should stay tuned for updates about Liverpool’s injury situation as the week goes on, as that news could move the lines.
Chelsea pk, +0.5 comes in at -115, while Liverpool pk, -0.5 is priced at -110. Liverpool exploded or four goals when these sides met a few weeks ago and that was also without Salah in the lineup.
Don’t necessarily expect a blowout here, as Chelsea have a point to prove. Both over and under 2.5, 3 goals show -115 odds for this EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Note that Chelsea have lost their last seven domestic finals.
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