Former Chelsea goalkeeper and performance advisor Petr Cech says he is expecting an exciting match between the Blues and Liverpool on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final.
Thomas Tuchel’s men are in search of another trophy, following their Club World Cup victory just a few weeks ago that crowned them as Champions of the World.
The German coach had to overcome London rivals Tottenham twice in the semi-final to book their place in the final, while the Reds beat Arsenal in the second leg of the tie to secure their route through.
Sunday will see the two sides finally meet, with neither able to gain an advantage in the league meetings this season.
The first clash saw a 1-1 draw played out at Anfield, where Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the visitors.
Reece James was then sent off on the brink of half-time for a handball on the line that denied a goal scoring opportunity.
Winger Mohamed Salah stepped up and scored from the spot, but the Blues held defiant in Merseyside and took a point back to London.
The reverse fixture was much more high action from both sides. Jurgen Klopp’s men raced into a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge, Salah and Sadio Mane both scoring early into the first-half.
But that wasn’t enough as the home crowd pushed their side on. A Mateo Kovacic wonderstrike from outside the box brought a goal back, before Christian Pulisic netted to level the game up.
The league did tell a similar story for a while, though the Blues have since dropped off the pace slightly.
And now, the two sides battle it out in a final at Wembley for the League Cup, something that former goalkeeper Cech won three times at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to the Official Chelsea website, Cech discussed the clash and said: “The reason Chelsea have won the League Cup and reached finals is because we have always treated it with respect. The feeling of winning a trophy is special.
“We played Liverpool recently in the league, we know it will always be a very difficult game against them.
“There is a lot of energy from their side, a lot of energy from our side. It results in an exciting contest.
“Both teams will go for it. I’m expecting an exciting game and I’m really looking forward to it.
“Hopefully we end up on the right side of things. It would be amazing to finish this month with another trophy.”
The match could be another defining one for Tuchel and his men, cementing themselves as another of the great Chelsea sides in the club’s history.
There will be plenty of eyes on Wembley, but the performance matters little when the trophy is up for grabs at the end of it all.
