“That’s my one concern” - Graeme Souness predicts who will win Carabao Cup final when Chelsea face Liverpool
Football pundit Graeme Souness believes Liverpool hold an edge over Chelsea going into the Carabao Cup final. His only concern is the latest injury issues in the Reds' camp but he has still backed them to win.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Souness gave Liverpool a 60% chance of winning the Carabao Cup, even without their injured players. He does not think Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino will win his first silverware in England when the two teams meet on Sunday, February 25. He said:
"No. What do you expect me to say? I'm a Liverpool supporter. It's not a done deal. Of course, they have a chance. For me, it's a 60/40 game. I think Liverpool will win."
He added:
"That's even without the boys who went off injured. That's my one concern for Liverpool. They've got an abundance of strikers and even guys that change games when they're not playing well."
Liverpool are reportedly set to be without Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Alisson and Curtis Jones for the match.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have a similar injury list with Benoit Badiashile, Reece James, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella, Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia ruled out.
Gary Neville names Liverpool as favorites in Carabao Cup final against Chelsea
Football pundit Gary Neville has also backed Liverpool to win the Carabao Cup final this weekend against Chelsea. However, he believes the Blues will pose a threat, as they showed against Manchester City.
He was on The Gary Neville Podcast when he said:
"Liverpool are favorites next week, let's be clear, but Chelsea have a real chance. What they showed yesterday is that when a team push up the pitch, which Liverpool do, they can counter-attack and be really dangerous."
He added:
"I think it suits Chelsea. Jackson needs space to run into, Sterling needs space to run into, Palmer likes to deliver passes into space. I think Chelsea find it harder like they did against Crystal Palace the other night that sit with ten on the edge of the box. I think it's game on. I'm really looking forward to it. Liverpool will know they're in for a game."
The Reds defeated Chelsea earlier this year at Anfield and will be confident ahead of the Carabao Cup final. Jurgen Klopp's men ran out 4-1 winners at home but drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge earlier this season.