Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has claimed that winning a trophy at Wembley would be a "dream come true" ahead of the FA Cup final against Liverpool on Saturday. The Blues will be hoping it is third time lucky, having lost the previous two finals in the competition back-to-back.
The fixture is a rematch of the Carabao Cup final back in February, which ended in a stalemate after normal time and extra-time. Penalties were the deciding factor, with Kepa Arrizabalaga's effort blazing over the bar.
The tie could be a chance for revenge, though boss Thomas Tuchel was quick to steer clear of such a discussion: "I don't care about their other titles. We lost, of course, the final. We gave everything in that final as you know, it was a big match that went until the very last penalty.
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"Of course, we were unlucky and lost it. We want to turn things around. It will not give us the Carabao Cup title back, but we are here and were here last season in the FA Cup final, and that means an unbelievable lot to us."
The German coach will be hoping for a different outcome this time, though history this season suggests we are in for another close game. All three fixtures between Chelsea and Liverpool this season have ended in draws, setting up another tense encounter at Wembley.
However, defender Silva has already outlined his desire to win the trophy on Saturday. Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: "Wembley is known around the world for being the home of the English football team - it has a status like the Stade de France and the Maracana. It's a privilege to play in these stadiums and, obviously, it would be an amazing thing to win there. I've lost finals there against Leicester and Liverpool, and those are not great memories. To return to Wembley and win a trophy would be another dream come true."
Should the Blues win on Saturday, they will have earned a ninth FA Cup title, having finished runners-up seven times so far. The win would also be the fifth honour that Tuchel will have earned since joining the club.
Silva went on to add how the squad collectively wanted to win the trophy: "For us, it means a lot, the FA Cup final. It's an incredibly important competition for us as players, we know what it means with its status here in England and, of course, we lost last year. So it's a competition we would absolutely love to win."
It remains to be seen just how the game plays out, with Chelsea hopeful of denying the Reds an unlikely quadruple this season. If they are to manage that, though, the role that the Brazilian plays in denying the opposition will be huge.
