With the reigning holders, Manchester United, out of the competition, the 64th season of the English League Cup will crown the new champion on February 25.
Record nine-time winners Liverpool and Chelsea, who have five titles to their name, are the bookmakers’ favourites as per GGBet sports betting, but they must overcome Fulham and Middlesbrough, respectively, to reach the Wembley showpiece.
While the high-flying Reds pulled off a second-half comeback to beat the Cottagers 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final tie at Anfield, the Stamford Bridge outfit slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the Riverside Stadium.
Although Jurgen Klopp’s side completed half of the work, they’ll know better than to write Marco Silva’s team off, especially at a sold-out Craven Cottage.
The stakes are high for Fulham, who must fight back on home turf to set up their first League Cup final tie amidst an underwhelming Premier League campaign.
Elsewhere, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino called on the club supporters to stand by his side as they bid to overturn a narrow aggregate deficit in West London, as per beIN Sports.
Former Man Utd midfielder Michael Carrick will be eager to stop the Argentine in his tracks and hand Middlesbrough a chance to fight for their first League Cup title since 2003/04.
Let’s take a closer look at both second-leg fixtures.
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough
Despite a significant gulf in quality and stature, Chelsea stuttered on Teesside a fortnight ago as Hayden Hackney’s first-half winner put them in a precarious position ahead of the return leg.
Pochettino’s side recovered from an underwhelming performance at the Riverside with a hard-earned 1-0 home triumph against fellow West London rivals Fulham in the follow-up.
However, the Blues’ bid to become only the third side to qualify for ten League Cup finals remains in limbo, with the Bridge club crashing out twice in four semi-final ties after failing to win the first leg.
Pochettino can draw confidence from Chelsea’s formidable home form as they’ve racked up six wins in their last eight competitive outings at the Bridge, drawing the other two.
Boro’s first-leg triumph forms part of an ongoing three-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, bolstering Carrick’s effort to add to the club’s only piece of silverware.
In search of good omens, the last time Middlesbrough lifted the League Cup trophy in 2003/04, they squeaked past Arsenal’s invincibles 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie before claiming a 3-1 aggregate win.
Fulham vs Liverpool
Liverpool didn’t need talismanic forward Mohamed Salah to turn Fulham’s 1-0 half-time lead at Anfield into victory as goals from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo helped them turn the game on its head.
Confidence around Klopp’s camp is at an all-time high after the Salah-less Reds tore Bournemouth apart 4-0 in the Premier League last weekend to move five points clear of second-placed Manchester City.
Taking this trip in high spirits, Liverpool are odds-on favourites to finish the job and secure a chance to become the first-ever side to win the League Cup ten times.
Further enthusiasm comes from the Merseyside giants’ incredible run of 36 unbeaten matches in their last 37 (W26, D10) and the fact they’ve toppled Fulham in three consecutive meetings since a 2-2 draw in 2022.
However, Silva’s charges won’t go down without a fight despite going winless in all ten League Cup encounters against a more heavily fancied Liverpool side (D2, L8).
The Cottagers will dare to dream big after mustering five wins in their last six games at Craven Cottage, including a 2-1 triumph against Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal on New Year’s Eve.
