Who will be the 1st German manager to win the FA Cup? Tuchel or Klopp?
Giants ‘lock horns’ in today’s FA Cup final clash
CHELSEA and Liverpool will be the main focus today when the giants “lock horns” for the mouth-watering FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium at 6.45pm.
With manager Thomas Tuchel at the helm, Chelsea may struggle for confidence having lost their last two consecutive FA Cup finals to Arsenal and Leicester City.
Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp is hopeful that his men can win a first FA Cup title in his tenure.
“We have to be angry in a good way, and greedy,” said Klopp.
Tuchel, meanwhile, will hope it is third time lucky for him as far as domestic cup finals are concerned, having lost last season’s FA Cup final to Leicester City as well as meeting Liverpool in February in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium where the teams played out a 0-0 draw. Liverpool subsequently won 11-10 in an epic post-match penalty shootout to claim the trophy.
“Yeah of course, of course [we’re looking for revenge],” Tuchel admitted.
“We will not get the Carabao Cup final back but we are again in Wembley,
again in an FA Cup final in two consecutive years which is great. We are also very proud, we have a lot of respect for the FA Cup, such a traditional respected cup worldwide, and to be part of it and a final against Liverpool in Wembley is huge.”
Senegalese player Sadio Mane is in great form for Liverpool,
with Klopp describing him as a “machine”. After two goals in the semi-final against Manchester City, Mane will be hungry for more in this clash with Chelsea.
English attacker Mason Mount adds mobility and unpredictability to Chelsea’s attack, which will make him a key figure for this FA Cup
final. Mount will hope to exploit pockets of space between Liverpool’s defence and midfield.
In head-to-head stats, Liverpool and Chelsea have met in 191 matches across all competitions since their first clash back in 1907. The Reds have claimed 83 wins compared to 65 for the Blues, while 43 games have been drawn.