"Van Dijk has had him in his pocket" - Gabby Agbonlahor feels Liverpool defender will keep Chelsea star out of Carabao Cup final starting lineup

Liverpool and Chelsea are set to lock horns in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. There has been a lot of talk about the starting XI of both teams as managers Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel will look to pick the best possible XI for the tie.

Former Premier League player Gabby Agbonlahor spoke about the upcoming tie on TalkSport.

He stated that Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku might not start against the Reds. As per Agbonlahor, Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk dominated him the last time the two teams met each other at Anfield.

“I don’t see Lukaku starting on Sunday because he’s been very poor against Van Dijk whenever he’s played against him. Van Dijk has had him in his pocket, so I think he’ll try mix it up and play Havertz again on Sunday,” said Gabby Agbonlahor.

Romelu Lukaku's return to Stamford Bridge hasn't turned out to be great so far. The Belgian left Inter Milan last summer to join Chelsea as the Blues spent record breaking £97.5 million for his service.

However, it looks like the Blues have bet on the wrong horse. Chelsea's current tactical setup, which involves building attacking moves using short passes, is something that Lukaku is finding hard to execute.

The Belgian is best known for being a fox in the box and there hasn't been much service provided to him by his teammates inside the penalty area.

It has been a tough season for Romelu Lukaku at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian has scored just three goals in 10 games across competitions in 2022, which is a very low return as per his lofty standards. Tuchel recently started Kai Havertz as the centre-forward against Lille in the Champions League round of 16 tie.

The German forward was very influential as he scored the opening goal on the night. The Blues went on to win the match 2-0. However, what caught the eye of fans was that Lukaku was an unused substitute in the match. This has added to further doubts regarding the Belgian's future at Stamford Bridge.

Chelse to gun for their third title this season, Liverpool for their record EFL Cup win

Chelsea started the season with a penalty shootout win against Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup. They backed it up with another trophy in February, when they beat Palmeiras to win the Club World Cup.

The Carabao Cup final against Liverpool will be a chance for the Blues to win their third silverware of the season.

Liverpool have been in exceptional form of late. The Reds are on a 12-game unbeaten run across competitions, winning 10 of those matches. They hammered Leeds United 6-0 in their last outing to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City to just three points.

Winning the Carabao Cup will only add to the confidence of these in-form Liverpool players. Notably, Liverpool will become record winners of the League Cup if they manage to beat Chelsea, going past Manchester City's record of eight triumphs.