Joe Cole is backing Chelsea to come out on top in Sunday's Carabao Cup final as two of his former sides go head-to-head at Wembley.
The 40-year-old spent seven years at Stamford Bridge during his playing career and joined the Reds after leaving the Londoners in 2010.
Cole was popular among supporters while representing the Londoners, though did not enjoy the most successful spell on Merseyside.
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Chelsea will head into Sunday's showpiece fixture high on confidence after defeating Lille 2-0 in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg clash yesterday evening.
Cole was in attendance as the Londoners took control of their European tie and believes Thomas Tuchel will take encouragement from this display as they prepare to test themselves against Liverpool.
“The first half was flat but the second half was better, a lot better," he told BT Sport .
“Thomas Tuchel will love that going into the cup final at the weekend. They took control of the game, they had good possession. That man there, Havertz, was stretching the play.
“The only downsides are the injuries to Kovacic and Ziyech with the cup final on the horizon but I thought the second half was a very strong, professional performance and I think Thomas Tuchel will be happy."
"Chelsea will win - we’re looking forward to it," added Cole when sharing his prediction for Sunday.
Romelu Lukaku was an unused substitute for the reigning European champions last night as the Belgian continues to come under criticism for below-par performances.
It was Kai Havertz who instead lead the line for Tuchel's side, with Cole likening the German to Roberto Firmino.
"He’s got that knack of doing it in big games," he said.
"Certain players have got that sparkle, they have got that bit of magic and Kai Havertz has got it.
"That will come into the manager’s thinking when he’s thinking about cup finals, big games. He’ll look around, who’s his characters that are not going to fluff their lines? Who's going to get the job done?
"Kai Havertz has got that German blood where he seems to thrive under pressure of the big games. I think he reminds me of a Firmino for Liverpool. That character that knits it all together."
