The 141st FA Cup final will take place at Wembley on Saturday (16:45 BST) and will be reported live on FUTBALLNEWS.
Liverpool, who defeated Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February, is seeking an unprecedented quadruple after reaching the Champions League final, and they are three points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with two games remaining.
FA Cup winners eight times Chelsea are in the final for the third time in six seasons, following finished second to Arsenal in 2020 and Leicester City in 2021 under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel, respectively.
“Given Liverpool’s strength and recent form, it will be another tough fight,” Tuchel predicted. “But that’s the point of a cup final.”
When asked about Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s claim that “everyone in the country supported Liverpool,” Tuchel said, “It’s impossible to dispute with him on that.”
“The country has a lot of affection for Liverpool, which is understandable. They put up a lot of effort. Jurgen Klopp knows how to play the underdog. He has the ability to persuade you.
“From my perspective, there is nothing to be envious of. Klopp is a wonderful person, a great comedian, and one of the best coaches in the world. No issue if we’re the bad guys tomorrow. We accept that responsibility.
“At the end of the day, we don’t want the compassion of the entire country; we want the trophy.”
Liverpool is making their first final appearance since losing 2-1 to Chelsea in 2012.
Since the Reds last won the FA Cup in 2006, Chelsea has won the competition five times.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remarked, “Liverpool supporters make events like this their own.” “I absolutely adore it. Because on a day like this, the one thing none of us can promise is the outcome.”
It will be the first FA Cup final played in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley since Manchester City defeated Watford 6-0 in front of 85,854 supporters in 2019.
Due to Coronavirus restrictions, the 2020 final between Arsenal and Chelsea will be held behind closed doors, while the previous season’s final between Leicester and Chelsea was witnessed by a smaller crowd of 20,000.
The FA Cup, which began in the 1871-72 season and is the world’s oldest knockout football competition, is commemorating its 150th anniversary.
The final will be decided on the day, with teams being allowed to nominate nine substitutes and make five substitutions, with a sixth allowed if extra time is required.
Mateo Kovacic (ankle) and Ngolo Kante (knee) of Chelsea will have late fitness tests, while Fabinho of Liverpool will miss out due to a hamstring injury.
With Liverpool, Klopp is aiming for his sixth trophy
Since Arsenal and Sheffield, Wednesday met in the EFL Cup and FA Cup finals in the same season in 1993, this is the first time the two teams have competed in both.
The Reds won the EFL Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout on February 27.
Klopp’s side has progressed to the Champions League final, where they will face Real Madrid on May 28 in Paris, as well as a berth in the FA Cup final.
Klopp is the first manager in the Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup finals in the same season.
The final on Saturday will be the tenth meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea in three seasons.
In that period, Klopp’s side has won three Premier League matches, while the Blues have won one and drawn two.
The last time the two teams met in the FA Cup was in the fifth round in March 2020, when Chelsea won 2-0.
Liverpool had won the Uefa Super Cup in Istanbul seven months prior, defeating Chelsea 5-4 on penalties – one of five titles the Reds had won since Klopp was appointed manager in October 2015.
The FA Cup has eluded the German despite winning the Premier League, Champions League, League Cup, Fifa Club World Cup, and Uefa Super Cup.
Will Klopp finally receive the coveted trophy this weekend?
Four major finals in one year and 108 days
Tuchel, who has just been in command of Chelsea for one year and 108 days, is about to take charge of the club’s fourth major final.
Last season, two weeks after losing in the FA Cup final to Leicester, the Blues were crowned European champions after a 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Despite winning the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup this season, the Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool on penalties hurt.
Tuchel is hoping that his players will be motivated by their loss on Saturday.
Is Tuchel capable of winning another final?
What does this signify in terms of European qualifications?
The FA Cup winners will qualify for the Europa League group stages as well as the Community Shield before the start of the Premier League next season.
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Liverpool, on the other hand, must finish second in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League group stage next season.
Chelsea are mathematically guaranteed a top-four finish, which guarantees a place in the Champions League, but one more win would seal the deal.
Chelsea will finish fifth at the very least and qualify for the Europa League based on their league position.
As a result, with the FA Cup winner’s slot no longer required, the teams who finish sixth and seventh in the Premier League, now Manchester United and West Ham, will compete in the Europa League and Europa Conference League, respectively.
150th-anniversary celebrations
FA Cup legends from the past will be honored at this year’s final to commemorate the competition’s 150th anniversary.
At halftime, Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola, a two-time FA Cup winner, will be introduced to the crowd, as will the granddaughter of legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly.
On Saturday, all 16 decades of the FA Cup will be honored and commemorated at Wembley Stadium.
| 2021-22 FA Cup final: Chelsea v Liverpool |
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| Date: Saturday, 14 May Kick-off: 16:45 BST Venue: Wembley Stadium |
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