EFL Cup Final Tips: Key stats and early prices for Chelsea v Liverpool

The first silverware of the season is up for grabs on Sunday as Chelsea take on Liverpool at Wembley and the match has all the makings of a classic.

The Blues are knockout football specialists under Thomas Tuchel, winning the Champions League and reaching the FA Cup final in his first season in charge.

They have not exactly been in imperious form of late, however, scraping wins against the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Crystal Palace in recent weeks and that's one reason why Chelsea are as long as 3.1511/5 to win in 90 minutes.

Reds want cup number 10

Liverpool, meanwhile, are the Premier League's form team having won nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.

The Reds are also the joint most successful club in League Cup history, along with Man City, winning it eight times.

Those two details alone justify Liverpool's favouritism at 2.466/4.

Mind you, a quick dip into the history books shows Liverpool haven't won the League Cup since 2012, when Kenny Daglish was their manager, so they are looking to end a 10 year drought and get their hands on that tureen-shaped trophy for the first time in the Klopp era.

In 2012, and in 2016 when Liverpool lost to City, the match went to penalties. The draw is 3.3512/5 on Sunday and it's worth noting that both Premier League matches between Liverpool and Chelsea this season ended in draws (1-1 and 2-2).

Chelsea won the League Cup in 2015 and finished runners up to City three years ago. The west Londoners have won it five times over all, so their record is strong too.

City won the League Cup for the past four seasons, of course, so it will be refreshing to see another club's name on it in 2022.

Tuchel v Klopp is clash of German giants

This year's final pits two of the greatest managers in the modern game against each other.

The two Germans know each other well and, of late, it's the Chelsea man who has the superior record in their head-to-heads.

Klopp is winless in his last four managerial clashes with Tuchel (D2 L2), including the three since Tuchel joined Chelsea (D2 L1).

The Blues are looking to end a run that has seen them defeated in their last three domestic cup finals - last season's FA Cup, the 2019 League Cup against City (which they lost on penalties and which you may remember for Kepa's antics) and the 2020 FA Cup final in which they were beaten by Arsenal.

Both teams are in action in midweek, with Chelsea resuming their defence of the Champions League against Rennes on Tuesday, and Liverpool looking to gain more ground on City in the Premier League title race at Leeds on Wednesday.

Ahead of Sunday's League Cup final we'll have a full match preview, with our writer's tips, as well as other in-depth analysis.