90min

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Liverpool - Carabao Cup final

By Grey Whitebloom

Thomas Tuchel has reached the final of every competition Chelsea have entered during his year-long tenure
Thomas Tuchel has reached the final of every competition Chelsea have entered during his year-long tenure / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
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Chelsea have the chance to win their second trophy in the space of 15 days when the reigning Club World Cup champions face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Thomas Tuchel won the first final of his managerial career, inspiring his Mainz under-19 side with a unique approach. He buried a club pin at the summit of a pre-season mountain bike session with the squad, insisting he would only retrieve the memorabilia when they won the title.

With the event all but forgotten ahead of the championship final ten months later, Tuchel surprised his side with a video of him digging up the pin, before brandishing it to the war cry of: "And now you go and play!" as a member of that team, Konstantin Fring, recalled to The Athletic.

Here's the XI Tuchel may subject to another motivational ploy ahead of Sunday's showpiece.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Liverpool - Carabao Cup

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Edouard Mendy (GK) - Just three weeks after securing his nation's maiden AFCON title, Mendy could be in line for another successful medal ceremony this weekend.

Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) - The club's skipper has collected every piece of silverware available to Chelsea, playing at left-back to beat Tottenham for this particular honour in 2015.

Thiago Silva (CB) - The Brazilian veteran captained PSG to the last ever French equivalent of the League Cup in 2020 (when Tuchel was also manager).

Antonio Rudiger (CB) - As the days left on his Chelsea deal dwindle, the list of clubs vying for the imperious defender's signature only grows.

2. Midfielders & wingbacks

Reece James (RWB) - An on-looker for all 12 of Chelsea's matches in 2022, James has been tipped to make his well-timed return this weekend.

N'Golo Kante (CM) - A sensational midweek refresher course in Kante's wondrous talents underlined his status as the world's best in his position.

Jorginho (CM) - Mateo Kovacic would be the natural selection for the recently overlooked European champion but the Croatia international is a slight fitness concern.

Marcos Alonso (LWB) - After making his first start for more than a month in midweek, Alonso has the chance to complete the set of major trophies on offer at Chelsea (within the space of six seasons).

3. Forwards

Mason Mount (RW) - The only first-team regular that still managed to make an appearance in every round of a competition regularly leaned upon for rotation is a likely starter - if deemed fit enough to appear from the off.

Romelu Lukaku (ST) - It was the furious and frenetic classic against Liverpool at the turn of the year that Tuchel made a point of dropping Lukaku for. However, with bridges ostensibly mended thereafter, it would be a surprise if the Belgian is left out again.

Kai Havertz (LW) - A scorer in the Champions League and Club World Cup finals could add to his burgeoning set of showpiece strikes this Sunday.

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