Earlier this season, Liverpool took on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley and just as their games in the Premier League this season have gone, the teams were level after 90 minutes and also extra time.
The game went to penalties and after all outfield players had scored, it was Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s miss with the Londoners’ 11th spot kick that handed Liverpool an 11-10 victory on penalties.
However, as fate would have it, both teams have progressed through the rounds of this year’s FA Cup competition and will face off once again in a Wembley final.
For Chelsea, it is a chance to claim some silverware after a tumultuous season which saw them challenge Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the table for the first 2/3 of the season, before dropping off the pace and which saw Roman Abramovich forced to sell up the club due to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and his close ties to Russian premier Vladimir Putin.
In contrast, it is a chance for Liverpool to claim their second domestic cup competition of the season and a chance for Jurgen Klopp to complete his trio of major trophies in the UK having already won the Carabao Cup and Premier League.
The Reds also remain in the hint for the Premier League this season, although that looks very unlikely, while they are also in the Champions League final against Real Madrid later in May.
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We are going to take a look ahead to Saturday’s big game with markets and odds provided by bet365 Sport and correct at the time of writing, though they may change in the run up to the game.
The FA Cup Final
History Factfile
The oldest football competition in world football was first competed for in the 1871-72 season in England and was won by the Wanderers football club in five of the first seven years of it being contested.
Queens Park remain the only Scottish team to have competed in the event, after they were invited to do so by tournament organisers and they reached the final twice in 1884 and 1885, losing on both occasions to Blackburn Rovers.
Rovers hold the honour of being the first team still playing professionally in the English League system today of winning the FA Cup back in 1884. They won three FA Cup finals in succession from 1884 to 1886, a feat that no other team has managed to match since.
Wembley did not host the final until 1923, known as the White Horse Final, when Bolton beat West Ham 2-0 in front of a record crowd of 126,047, although experts reckon there were tens of thousands more not in those official figures.
Other stadia to host the finals before Wembley include Crystal Palace, Bramall Lane, Stamford Bridge, Goodison Park, Fallowfield Stadium, Kennington Oval, Old Trafford and Little Bridge.
From 2001 to 2006, the final was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while Wembley was rebuilt.
The most successful teams in terms of winning the FA Cup are Arsenal (14), Manchester United (12), Chelsea and Tottenham (8) and Liverpool and Aston Villa (7).
In terms of appearances in the final, Arsenal lead the way with 21, followed by Manchester United with 20, Chelsea with 15, Liverpool with 14 and Newcastle and Everton with 13 apiece.
Only two teams have appeared in more than one FA Cup Final and won it each time. The Wanderers with five wins and Bury with two wins.
Four teams have reached the final twice and lost on both occasions. Queens Park, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Watford.
Cardiff City are the only team from outside England to win the FA Cup, doing so in 1927.
Chelsea And Liverpool’s FA Cup Factfile
Chelsea and Liverpool have met once before in an FA Cup Final, back in 2012, when Chelsea were 2-1 winners at Wembley. Ramires and Didier Drogba scoring for Chelsea, while Andy Carroll scored the goal for Liverpool.
Chelsea have appeared in four of the last five finals, losing three and winning one (2018 v Manchester United).
Liverpool’s last final appearance was in 2012, and their last final victory was in 2006 over West Ham.
The teams have met in the FA Cup at various stages many times over the years, the results of those games are as follows:
- 1932 – Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea
- 1962 – Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea
- 1965 – Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool
- 1966 – Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
- 1978 – Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool
- 1982 – Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
- 1986 – Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool
- 1997 – Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool
- 2006 – Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool
- 2012 – Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (FA Cup Final)
- 2020 – Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
Chelsea have won seven of the 11 games between the teams in the competition, Liverpool winning the other four, however, 7 games have been played at Stamford Bridge, with just 3 at Anfield and one at Wembley (the 2012 final).
How They Reached Wembley
Liverpool
- 3rd Round – v Shrewsbury Town (H) W 4-1 (Gordon 34, Fabinho 44(p),90, Firmino 78)
- 4th Round – v Cardiff City (H) W 3-1 (Jota 53, Minamino 68, Elliott 76)
- 5th Round – v Norwich City (H) W 2-1 (Minamino 27,39)
- Quarter Final – v Nottingham Forest (A) W 1-0 (Jota 78)
- Semi Final – v Manchester City (N) W 3-2 (Konate 9, Mane 17,45)
Goals Scored – 13
Goals Conceded – 5
Top Scorer – Takumi Minamino – 3
Chelsea
- 3rd Round – v Chesterfield (H) – W 5-1 (Werner 6, Hudson-Odoi 18, Lukaku 20, Christensen 39, Ziyech 55)
- 4th Round – v Plymouth Argyle (H) – W 2-1 AET (Azpilicueta 41, Alonso 105)
- 5th Round – v Luton Town (A) – W 3-2 (Saul 27, Werner 68, Lukaku 78)
- Quarter Finals – v Middlesbrough (A) – W 2-0 (Lukaku 15, Ziyech 31)
- Semi Finals – v Crystal Palace (N) – W 2-0 (Loftus-Cheek 65, Mount 76)
Goals Scored – 14
Goals Conceded – 4
Top Scorer – Romelu Lukaku – 3
Past Meetings This Season & Current Form
The teams have met three times this season. In the Premier League they drew 1-1 back in August, Kai Havertz scoring for Chelsea before Mo Salah equalised from the penalty spot.
Then later on in the season, the teams drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge, Salah and Mane put Liverpool 2-0 up before goals from Kovacic and Pulisic drew Chelsea level.
Finally, the teams met at Wembley in the Carabao Cup Final, which finished 0-0 after extra time, with Liverpool winning 11-10 on penalties.
However, while games between the two teams have been very tight, in terms of current form, Liverpool have much the better recent form, with Chelsea winning just two of their last six Premier League games.
Both teams won midweek games, Liverpool at Aston Villa 2-1 and Chelsea at Leeds 3-0, in the run up to Saturday’s final.
FA Cup Final Tips
The game will kick off at 4.45pm on Saturday afternoon and it promises to be another exciting game. Both teams should be at or close to full strength with just a couple of injuries for both managers to contend with ahead of the game.
As a one-off game, current form can go out of the window here and I think both teams will go at the other team to clinch the win. I can’t see a defensive game being contested.
Liverpool ate 19/20 favourites to land the win and they are the team I will back here to claim the victory, although Chelsea at 11/4 will certainly have plenty of takers, as will the draw at 13/5.
