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The last time Chelsea won a domestic competition was in 2018, when they lifted the FA Cup trophy.
Although they have since added the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup trophies, the Blues have been denied victories at home.
They are hoping to break that spell today when they take on Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in the Carabao Cup final.
In the five years that the Blues’ fans have been waiting, their opponents Liverpool have won the Premiership title, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
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They did so, of course, under Jürgen Klopp, who also steered Liverpool to a Champions League trophy and a Club World Cup title.
The German coach will be leaving the club at the end of the season and is already guaranteed cult-status among the Reds’ fans.
There is little more that Klopp would like to give the fans as a departure gift than another trophy to add to the growing list.
The 56-year-old holds four cards in his hand and will be playing the first today.
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The Reds currently top the league table on 60 points – four more than Manchester City – who have a game in hand.
In the FA Cup, Liverpool are at home to Southampton in the last 16 round match on Wednesday.
The day before, Chelsea have a home fixture against Leeds United in the same competition. In the last 16 round of the Uefa Europa League, Liverpool were on Friday drawn against Czech side Slavia Prague.
The difference between the two clubs is thus quite striking.
Two players who symbolise the current difference between the two clubs are Argentine World Cup winners – Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández. Both midfielders joined their new clubs this season and last year, respectively.
But while Liverpool paid Brighton & Hove Albion R865 million for Mac Allister, Chelsea signed Fernández for R2.5 billion from Portuguese side Benfica.
The price of the two players is not the only difference between them, as Mac Allister has fitted into the Liverpool scheme in whatever role Klopp has assigned him.
Injuries have forced Klopp to play the central midfielder much deeper than he would have otherwise. But due to the return from injury of other players, Mac Allister has been free to play a more attacking game and he has done so with aplomb.
Fernández, on the other hand, despite not being a disappointment, has never quite managed to shake off the price tag that ominously hangs over his head.
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DESPERATE TO WIN
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders, who stood in for Klopp in the pre-match press conference on Friday, said that even though some of their players had not yet won a trophy, they would be ready.
“A lot of the boys have not yet won with this group, but they are desperate to change that. We are stable enough to deal with it.”
He praised Chelsea:
Meanwhile, 51-year-old Mauricio Pochettino downplayed Klopp’s pronouncement that Chelsea were the favourites.
“Because he’s one of the best, with Pep [Guardiola of Manchester City], coaches in the world. He’s clever enough. He knows that when you play a final, circumstances can happen. If they are not favourites, we are not favourites.
Pchettino said:
“It means a lot for us, the coaching staff to arrive in the final and to challenge a team such as Liverpool and win our first title here.
“It’s a dream for us, the coaching staff. We have 90 minutes to achieve that and we are going to fight. The team are ready. It’s an amazing chance for us.”
