"Arguably bigger than the Champions League" - Chelsea star talks up the importance of winning the Carabao Cup against Liverpool
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell reckons winning the Carabao Cup against Liverpool this Sunday (February 25) could be more significant for the club than their 2021 UEFA Champions League triumph.
The Blues head to Wembley as underdogs as they look to put a dent in Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour. They have a dismal record against the Merseysiders, without a win against them since March 2021.
Chelsea have endured a frustrating season that has been plagued with inconsistent form. They sit down in 10th in the league, 14 points off the top four with 13 games remaining.
However, the Carabao Cup has been a positive for Mauricio Pochettino's men this campaign. They have the opportunity of winning their first piece of silverware under the Argentine coach.
Chilwell highlighted the magnitude of this Sunday's cup final by suggesting it could be more important than the Blues' Champions League triumph three years ago. He said (via CentreGoals):
"To get this one as a team and as a staff and with the fans, it would be massive for the club and arguably bigger than the Champions League in the way we want the club to go."
Chelsea have undergone a massive rebuild since Todd Boehly became co-owner in May 2022. There have been a host of changes to the squad but Chilwell has remained.
The England international is likely to captain the side against Liverpool with Reece James out injured. He's appeared 15 times across competitions this season, providing one assist.
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool's dominant win against Chelsea last month isn't beneficial ahead of EFL Cup final
Liverpool came out on top when the two Premier League giants last met. Klopp's men did so with a comfortable 4-1 win at Anfield on January 31.
Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Luis Diaz were among the goals for the Reds. Christopher Nkunku hit one back for the Blues who were given a torrid time on the road.
However, Klopp was adamant that the victory wouldn't be of help to Liverpool when they collide with Chelsea at Wembley. He told the club's official website:
"The result we had here [a 4-1 league win over Chelsea at Anfield last month] doesn’t help, of course we have to play the game again and it’s like firing the opponent up slightly."
The German alluded to the final taking place at neither club's home ground:
"The final is a completely different game, there’s no home ground obviously. We played them now a couple of times in a final and we know one part is blue and one is red."
Liverpool have a strong recent record against the west Londoners at Wembley. They prevailed in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals against the Stamford Bridge giants in 2022.