Preview: FA Cup Final - Chelsea v/s Liverpool

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n Saturday, 5th May, Chelsea takes on Liverpool in the FA Cup final. This is the first time in the long history of the competition that the two sides are meeting at the summit. Both are among the most successful clubs in the competition with Liverpool having won the trophy seven times while Chelsea are slightly behind with six titles to their name. However, recent history favours Chelsea as they have won the competition thrice in the last five years, while Liverpool’s last victory came in 2006.

A bitter rivalry has ensued between the two in the modern era and reached its zenith at the 2005 Champions League semi finals, when Liverpool forward Luis Garcia scored, what then Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho, dubbed as ‘the ghost goal’ and ‘the goal that came from the moon’, as the ball seemed not to have crossed the line before being cleared. Fights broke out between the teams as well as the managers and the referee came under a lot of criticism. The goal was scrutinized endlessly on television but the replays were inconclusive. It was a night that players as well as fans from both sides still remember ruefully. The fact that Liverpool went on to win the Champions League that season only exacerbated Chelsea’s misery.

Liverpool have already won the Carling Cup this season, their first trophy in six years and though it is not an enormous achievement, it is a step in the right direction for the Merseyside men. Their recent form has not been great though as they have won only two games out of their last six in the Premier League. With only 49 points so far this season, any chance of playing in Europe next season is beyond their reach. Kenny Daglish will be keen to bag the FA Cup, as it his only opportunity to turn a woefully mediocre season into a somewhat successful one.

Chelsea on the other hand are experiencing an upsurge of sorts under caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo. The team has already performed beyond expectations to beat Barcelona and progress to the Champions League finals. Their recent form has been excellent and have been beaten only twice in Di Matteo’s regime. Their aspirations for a top four finish, though, have taken a major blow after their recent 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle, in which Di Matteo made six changes to the starting eleven, in an effort to preserve his players for the FA Cup final. Whether his gamble pays off remains to be seen.

Chelsea will be playing in their usual 4-5-1 formation. Di Matteo might be tempted to start with Torres instead of Drogba, as the former will provide pace to the attack and will trouble the Reds defense by getting behind them, he also has a knack for delivering through balls and creating assists. Miereles will have an important role to play as he along with Torres, as they

will be accustomed to Liverpool’s playing style and know their weaknesses. In defense, Gary Cahill is expected to start beside Terry in centre and Ivanovic might play right back as Luiz remains doubtful.

Liverpool will be playing 4-4-2 and are expected to make quite a few changes to the squad that lost 1-0 to Fulham on Tuesday, as Suarez and Gerrard will be back in the playing eleven. Andy Carroll is expected to join Suarez in attack and Spearing is expected to get the nod ahead of Shelvey in midfield.

Liverpool will go into the encounter with nothing to lose and will throw everything at Chelsea, who have been exceptional towards the end of the season and would like to see their good form rewarded by a trophy. The Blues have only lost one of their last 33 FA Cup matches (other than penalty shootouts) – a statistic which shows what a considerable force they are in the tournament. All said and done, the match promises to be a thrilling encounter and is a must watch for fans of the Premier League.