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Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final hopes could hinge on keeping former player Mohamed Salah quiet.
The Blues’ recent success has been built on a rock-solid defence but goals have been an issue with big-money signings Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku misfiring.
And their lack of killer instinct could not be more in contrast to the Reds, who boast the Premier League’s best marksman in their ranks.
LiveScore take a look at how the Liverpool talisman would fit in at the Blues ahead of Sunday’s Wembley showdown.
Stamford Bridge Blues
Salah managed just two league strikes in as many seasons for Chelsea before being shipped out on loan to Fiorentina and then Roma, who he joined permanently in 2016.
He quickly rediscovered his shooting boots in Italy and racked up a staggering 77 goal contributions in 81 matches for his two sides.
But unbelievably there were many who doubted if the 29-year-old was cut out for Premier League football when he joined Liverpool in 2017 — and they have been eating humble pie ever since.
Reflecting on his struggles at Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, Salah told GQ: “When I look back, [I had] bad advice with the situation.
“It was so tough for me, mentally. I couldn’t handle the pressure I had from the media, coming from outside. I was not playing that much. I felt, ‘No, I need to go’
“You have two choices — to tell the people that they are right to put you on a bench, or to prove them wrong. I needed to prove them wrong.”
Case for the defence
Chelsea are among England’s best sides and have last season’s Champions League trophy and their recent Club World Cup triumph to back up that statement.
Thomas Tuchel has made the Blues rearguard a formidable unit since arriving last January with Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah all stepping up when needed.
The Blues’ three-man defence have the second best record after leaders Manchester City having conceded just 18 times in 25 matches.
But at the other end of the field there have been significant issues with £97.5million striker Lukaku failing to make the desired impact — and those struggles are what separate the Blues from Sunday’s opponents.
Liverpool have scored 70 league goals this season, with Salah having a hand in 29 of those despite missing several weeks on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Should the Reds triumph on Sunday, the Blue voices on Wembley Way will likely be left wondering if they would have been crowned champions had they kept hold of the man Kopites have dubbed The Egyptian King.
