Paul Merson says Chelsea will win Carabao Cup battle after hearing about latest Liverpool injury blow

Paul Merson believes Chelsea might have a route to success use against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final after Curtis Jones was ruled out of the game.

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea has had a tough 2023/24 season with unexpected results and performances, while Liverpool have endured a number of injury problems in the build up to the game.

Last month, Liverpool easily beat Chelsea at Anfield, leading to more doubts about Pochettino's future after a 4-2 loss to Wolves. But since then, Chelsea has shown impressive form against Aston Villa and Manchester City, giving them confidence ahead of Sunday's cup final.

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Chelsea haven't beaten Liverpool since March 2021 and lost two cup finals to them in 2022. However, Sky Sports pundit Merson thinks Chelsea could have an advantage if they can replicate Arsenal's strategy from three weeks ago. Arsenal managed to beat Liverpool by using Jorginho to control the midfield and stop Liverpool's counter-attacks. Merson believes Pochettino could do the same.

He said: "Playing against Man City suited Chelsea in the draw last weekend. You know they are going to leave gaps at the back. You always get a chance against them - if you pick that right pass on the counter, you are going to cause them major problems.

"I don't think that is the case against Liverpool. They will be more shrewd about Chelsea's counter-attack. Chelsea have to beat Liverpool's press. Arsenal beat it umpteen times the Emirates the other week with Jorginho in the team.

"I'm not sure if they have that Jorginho figure in the team. They have Enzo Fernandez - if he can play the