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Liverpool will be looking to win their second domestic cup competition of the season as they lock horns with Chelsea at Wembley tonight.
Liverpool haven't won the FA Cup since the 2005-06 season. They've since traversed the spectrum of emotions before transforming into one of the most dominant sides in Europe under Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool are still in with a chance of winning the quadruple this term.
The Merseysiders have made it to the Champions League final and are taking the Premier League title race right down to the wire. But for now, their focus will be locked on serving a second cup final heartbreak to Chelsea in tonight's FA Cup showdown.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Liverpool will win the FA Cup final against Chelsea tonight.
#5 Liverpool have already beaten Chelsea in a cup final this season
It's interesting to note that Jurgen Klopp has not managed to beat Thomas Tuchel in regular time in any of their last five meetings. But he beat Tuchel's Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup final in February.
The Merseysiders are the stronger team on paper and have proven that they can come up clutch when the situation needs them to. Liverpool settled for draws against Chelsea in both their Premier League meetings this term.
Klopp's side definitely holds the psychological advantage heading into this game and the pressure will be on Chelsea to avenge their Carabao Cup final loss.
#4 Chelsea have struggled in recent weeks
Chelsea were able to snap a three-game winless streak this past weekend as they beat 10-men Leeds United 3-0. But it's best not to make much of it since Leeds United are currently relegation battlers who have surrendered to meeker opposition.
The Blues have managed to win just two of their last six matches. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Wolves on the back of a 1-0 loss to Everton. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw against a struggling Manchester United side as well. Prior to that, Chelsea eked out a narrow win over West Ham United.
Chelsea were also comprehensively beaten (4-2) by Arsenal on April 21. Their recent record does not suggest they're going to have a great outing at Wembley tonight.
#3 Liverpool haven't lost away from home since December
Liverpool have been in red hot form away from home this season. Although they did look a little shaky on occasion in the first half of the campaign, they've been simply unstoppable on the road in the second.
Liverpool's last loss away from home came against Leicester City on December 29. They haven't lost on the road since. The Merseysiders have won all of their last four away games across all competitions with a combined scoreline of 9-5.
Adversity seems to get the Liverpool players ticking and there is hardly anything to suggest tonight will be any different.
#2 Chelsea's injury concerns
Thomas Tuchel confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Chelsea will be without Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell. But he also revealed that they are going to take a risk with Mateo Kovacic, who was forced off with a ligament problem in the game against Leeds United.
Kante did not feature against Leicester City and remains a doubt for the FA Cup final. When asked about using Kovacic and Kante, Tuchel said (via SI):
“It is the moment to take a risk, yeah."
On Kovacic, he added:
“We tried today, actually. It’s pretty surprising to be in a situation where we can try it but Mateo wants to try it. Medical department gave the green light to try it.
"The ‘advantage’ is that the ligament is anyway torn from the last incident so there is no new injury but heavy pain, was heavily swollen.
"We are hoping that maybe time is enough for him to make it. We will try in two and a half hours in training and we will know more about it."
Tuchel himself has used words like 'risk' and 'heavy pain'. So even if Kovacic featuers, he will be playing through pain. The Croatia international, who has been one of Chelsea's best players this season, is unlikely to be a 100% against Liverpool.
#1 Liverpool unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competition
Liverpool are in much better form than Chelsea. Their worst result since an inconsequential loss to Inter Milan in the group stage of the Champions League was a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Merseysiders have been flying while Chelsea have huffed and puffed along to this point. It's going to be difficult for the Blues to act as any sort of impediment to this high-flying Liverpool side who have too many match winners on their side.
