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Legendary Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is hoping that his former side will have "better luck" when they take on Liverpool in the FA Cup final.
The Blues will take on the Reds at Wembley on Saturday, 14 May. It will be their fourth meeting this season, with none of the previous three being decided in regulation time.
The FA Cup represents Chelsea's only opportunity to win silverware this season. Liverpool, meanwhile, have already lifted the Carabao Cup. They are still in the fight for the Premier League title and have also made it into the UEFA Champions League final.
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While there is a glaring difference in how their campaigns have progressed, Cech believes the Blues have matched the Reds in their contests against each other. In his column on Chelsea's official website, he wrote:
"This season we have always risen to the level of Liverpool’s performance. We have matched them in terms of intensity, speed and pressing. That’s why these games have been so entertaining and of such high quality."
Cech, who is currently working as an advisor at his former club, went on to speak about the Carabao Cup final, also contested by the two FA Cup finalists. That match ended goalless after extra time, with Liverpool winning 11-10 on penalties. On this, Cech wrote:
"The League Cup final went to a crazy ending with us on the wrong side, but we believe we can have better luck this time. We are aware our performance must be really strong to beat them, everybody knows it, and the players are preparing for it."
Chelsea and Liverpool have played out three hard-fought matches this season
The two teams first met in the Premier League back in August 2021 at Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel's men took the lead through Kai Havertz. But they were reduced to 10 men just before half-time after Reece James was dismissed for handling the ball in the box. Mohamed Salah scored from the resulting penalty but the resilient Blues held on for a draw.
Their second meeting was also in the league in January this year. Sadio Mane and Salah put Liverpool up 2-0 inside the opening half hour at Anfield. However, Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic scored towards the end of the first half to level it all up. The match eventually ended 2-2.
Their latest meeting came in the Carabao Cup final in February. Despite some high-quality football, both teams failed to find the back of the net after 120 minutes of action. The match subsequently went to penalties, where every outfield player from both teams scored.
However, Kepa Arrizabalaga missed for Chelsea while Caoimhin Kelleher scored for the Reds to seal the match and the title in his side's favor.
