The first major trophy of the season will be dished out on Sunday afternoon, with Chelsea and Liverpool locking horns at Wembley Stadium in the Carabao Cup final.
For Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side, getting their hands on a piece of silverware would be a very welcome distraction from what has turned into another testing Premier League season, with the Blues currently sitting 10th in the table with little hope of achieving European qualification that way.
Liverpool, meanwhile, remain in the running for four trophies, sitting top of the Premier League, through to the fifth round of the FA Cup and also in the last-16 of the Europa League. Outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp will no doubt want to end his Reds reign on a high in what could be his final trip to Wembley as the Liverpool boss.
Why is the Chelsea vs Liverpool Carabao Cup final kicking off at 3pm?
The change is on the advice of the Metropolitan Police, who have deemed this a 'high risk' fixture and have requested that the final kicks off no later than 3pm. This change was only confirmed last month, with an EFL Spokesman admitting it was ’disappointing’ to make the change at such late notice.
“Following representations from the Metropolitan Police (MPS), the local safety advisory group has determined the 2024 Carabao Cup Final will now kick-off at 3pm,” they said.
“Having previously scheduled the usual 4.30pm kick-off time with Wembley and Sky Sports, it is disappointing to note the change at this late stage.”
This follows a precedent set last season, when the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United was also brought forward to 3pm from 5.30pm following police advice.
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