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Match Preview
It's time. It's time for the final stages of the coveted competitions of England to unfold and write another piece of text. Manchester City and an out-of-sorts Chelsea are set to go toe-to-toe at the Wembley Stadium on 24 February in the Carabao Cup final - the first piece of silverware up for grabs in English football.
Both sides have endured contrasting fortunes in February and their overall season. While Pep Guardiola's troops have won all their games this month, the under-fire Maurizio Sarri has lost five of his last 11 competitive fixtures in all competitions.
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However, one cannot write off either side from the competition, with them being arguably the two most successful teams in cup competitions in recent years.
Manchester City goes in as favorites to retain their Carabao Cup title, and they will be boosted by the fact that the Blues have endured three losses in Wembley this term, including the Community Shield defeat at the hands of the PL champions.
Can Chelsea turn their recent woes into a trophy, just as how they have done under Roman Abramovich for all these years? Or will Manchester City continue to pile misery on Sarri and his Blues and add to their trophy-laden cabinet?
Here's all you need to know ahead of the game.
Kickoff Information
Date: 24 February 2019
Time: 16:30 (local time), 22:00 (IST)
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Livestream: Live stream on JioTV
Form guide
Last 5 matches (in all competitions)
Manchester City: W-W-W-W-W
Chelsea: W-L-W-L-W
Head-to-head
Manchester City wins: 55
Chelsea wins: 67
Draws: 39
Key player to watch out for
Hazard has, on a notable number of occasions, defied the 'team game' protocols of football and made the stage his own by smashing in beautifully crafted individual efforts to steer Chelsea ahead. It was he who scored a goal of the season contender in the third round against Liverpool, which was extremely hard-fought.
It was he who scored the winner against Bournemouth, it was he who slotted in the second against Spurs in the semi-final. The boys have to go out and win it for him.
Yes, not many of you would disagree if we claim that Eden Hazard has carried Chelsea to the final stage. And even if you do, statistics don't lie, as since the start of the 2012-13 season, no player has been involved in more League Cup goals for a Premier League side than Chelsea's talisman.
We bet that should Chelsea upstage Guardiola's side and mastermind an unlikely victory at Wembley, Hazard will most likely be the prime reason behind the triumph.
