The 2022 FA Cup comes to a conclusion this afternoon as Liverpool take on Chelsea at Wembley, in a repeat of the Carabao Cup final from earlier in the year.
Liverpool’s hopes of winning the quadruple appear to be fading given Manchester City’s form in the Premier League, but they enter this match probably in better form than the Blues and will have had an extra day’s rest after the midweek games.
That said, some of Chelsea’s best performances this season have been against Liverpool. They drew 1-1 at Anfield in August despite Reece James’s first-half dismissal, were the dominant side for the majority of January’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge and gave as good as they got in the Carabao Cup final, eventually losing on penalties.
This all points to another tight affair, which could be decided on set pieces. It’s also worth noting that the Carabao Cup final saw Liverpool win the corner count 11-1 in normal time.
Liverpool have used 30 players in their FA Cup run this season, with the only ever present starter being central defender Ibrahima Konate. This man mountain scored a towering header against Manchester City in the semifinal, following up from two more headers against Benfica in the Champions League quarterfinals. He’s obviously a man for the big occasion, and we’ll take a punt at 16/1 that he nets today.
Another bet that springs to mind revolves around Jordan Henderson. The Liverpool captain looks set to play a deeper role this afternoon as he is the likely replacement for Fabinho as the holding midfielder in the absence of the injured Brazilian.
Henderson is an experienced player who can play the role, but he lacks pace and could easily mistime a tackle in what is sure to be a highly contested midfield battle. We think the 4/1 available that he sees yellow offers real value.
Recommendations:
Konate to score anytime, 1 pt, at 16/1, SkyBet
Henderson to be booked, 1 pt, at 4/1, Paddy Power
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