ROAD TO WEMBLEY FULL HD SEMI-FINAL , SECOND LEG :vs FULHAM (a) 1-1, January 24 (Liverpool win 3-2 on agg)

Chelsea vs Liverpool, Carabao Cup final 2024: Kick-off time and how to watch on TV

Plus, latest best odds, the referee and how both teams got to the final at Wembley

 

Thiago Silva (left) and Darwin Núñez are fitness concerns for Chelsea and Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final – Chelsea vs Liverpool, Carabao Cup final: What time is kick-off, how to watch

Liverpool are aiming to claim the first of a possible quadruple when they take on Chelsea in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley. With Jürgen Klopp departing at the end of the season, the players have an added incentive going into the match.

 

For Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to win his first trophy in English football and kick-start his reign at Stamford Bridge with silverware.

 

The match is a repeat of the 2022 League Cup final, which ended 0-0 after extra time before Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties.

 

When is the Carabao Cup final?

The final takes place on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

 

What time is kick-off?

The match starts at 3pm (GMT). It will feature 30 minutes of extra time should the scores be level after 90 minutes. If the scores remain level after extra time, a penalty shootout will take place to decide the winner.

 

What TV channel is it on?

The final will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event from 2pm and Sky Sports Football from 2.30pm. Alternatively, follow all the live action on the Telegraph Sport website.

 

Highlights will be shown on ITV 1 at 10.50pm on Sunday evening.

 

What is the latest team news?

It was confirmed on Tuesday that Diogo Jota and Alisson would be out for significant periods while Curtis Jones also joins Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip on the absent list for Sunday.

 

There is no guarantee that Darwin Nunez, who like Jones and Jota was withdrawn in Saturday’s win over Brentford, or Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit as Klopp’s squad risks being stretched thin on the run-in, beginning with Sunday’s final.

 

Thiago Silva is a potential injury doubt for Chelsea after he hobbled off with a groin injury in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on February 12.

 

Who is the referee?

Chris Kavanagh has been named as the referee for Saturday’s showpiece event at Wembley.

 

Kavanagh will be assisted by James Mainwaring and Mark Scholes, with Tim Robinson named the fourth official and Wade Smith the reserve assistant referee.

 

The match will involve the use of video assistant referees (VAR). The VAR official is John Brooks, and he will be supported by Marc Perry as the Assistant VAR.

Liverpool’s route to the final

Third round: vs Leicester (h) 3-1, September 27

Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliant strike from the edge of the penalty area was the highlight of a second-half comeback after falling behind to Kasey McAteer’s third-minute goal. Cody Gakpo’s shot on the turn levelled things up just after the break, Szoboszlai smashed home and Diogo Jota’s cheeky backheel clinched victory.

 

Fourth round: vs Bournemouth (a) 2-1, November 1

Darwin Nunez’s goal was worthy of winning any cup tie on a filthy night on the south coast. Gakpo opened the scoring with a scruffy close-range finish only for Justin Kluivert’s far-post header to level things up just past the hour. Nunez’s poor first touch was jeered by home fans but he made them pay by cutting in from the left touchline to whip a vicious shot over Andrei Radu.

 

Quarter-final: vs West Ham (h) 5-1, December 20

Gakpo made it three in as many cup ties but Curtis Jones was the real star with two goals. Szoboszlai opened the scoring with another long-range strike and Mohamed Salah scored a trademark breakaway before Jones’ driving run completed the scoring. Jarrod Bowen’s curling effort had briefly made it 3-1.

 

Semi-final, first leg: vs Fulham (h) 2-1, January 10

Gakpo’s winner was his fourth successive goalscoring appearance in the competition and his tidy near-post effort gave Liverpool an advantage to take to Craven Cottage. Jones’ deflected shot from the edge of the area in the second half cancelled out Willian’s opener and Gakpo swept home in the 71st minute to turn things around.

 

Semi-final, second leg: vs Fulham (a) 1-1, January 24 (Liverpool win 3-2 on agg)

Luis Diaz’s early deflected shot beat Bernd Leno at his near post and set Jurgen Klopp’s side on their way to Wembley. Issa Diop’s quick improvisation diverted home a cross with his thigh but they could not make further inroads.

 

Chelsea’s route to the final

Second round: vs AFC Wimbledon (h) 2-1, August 30

Entering a round earlier than they are used to on account of having no European football, Pochettino’s side faced a shock when their League Two opponents took the lead via James Tilley’s first-half penalty, awarded after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had flown from his goal with a reckless punch at a free-kick. Chelsea replied with a spot-kick of their own converted by Noni Madueke in stoppage time before the break. In the second half, Enzo Fernandez took advantage of an error from Alex Bass in the visitors’ goal to score for the first time since his £105million move from Benfica, sparing his side’s blushes.

 

Third round: vs Brighton (h) 1-0, September 27

The Blues had lost at home to Brighton in the final weeks of the 2022/23 season, but with Roberto De Zerbi’s side juggling Premier League commitments with a first European campaign, Chelsea came out on top to progress to round four thanks to Nicolas Jackson’s goal early in the second half. The game was notable for a full debut for summer signing from Manchester City, Cole Palmer, the 21-year-old setting up the winning goal. He goes into Sunday’s final as the club’s top scorer with 12 in all competitions.

 

Fourth round: vs Blackburn (h) 2-0, November 1

Benoit Badiashile marked his first appearance of the season after injury by scoring his second Chelsea goal, as Blackburn were dispatched at Stamford Bridge. The defender pounced on an error from Rovers goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt who failed to deal with Palmer’s corner, tapping home from close range. Raheem Sterling scored in the second half, set up again by the increasingly influential Palmer, to put his team into the last eight.

 

Quarter-final: vs Newcastle (h) 1-1 (Chelsea win 4-2 on pens), December 19

Chelsea looked to be heading out when Callum Wilson took advantage of chaos in their defence to put Newcastle a goal up in the first half, as indifferent Premier League form looked to have caught up with the team’s cup progress. That’s the way it stayed until stoppage time, when Kieran Trippier hesitated in dealing with a cross and Mykhailo Mudryk stole in to rescue his side. A penalty shoot-out followed, with Trippier the villain again for the visitors before goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic saved from Matt Ritchie to send Chelsea through.

 

Semi-final, first leg: vs Middlesbrough (a) 0-1, January 9

A calamitous first leg at the Riverside Stadium saw Pochettino’s team return south embarrassed after missing a host of chances against the Championship outfit, with Palmer the principal culprit. Hayden Hackney’s goal was the difference to leave boss Michael Carrick and his players dreaming of Wembley.

 

Semi-final, second leg: vs Middlesbrough (h) 6-1, January 23 (Chelsea win 6-2 on agg)

Middlesbrough’s aspirations were extinguished by half-time in the return leg in west London, with Chelsea 4-0 up by the break en route to a 6-1 win that ensured it would be they and not Boro that face Liverpool on Sunday.

 

What are the best odds?

Chelsea to win: 6/4

Liverpool to win: 8/13