Chelsea and Liverpool prepare to lock horns at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, with the first trophy of the season in the form of the EFL Cup on the line.
The Reds are seeking a record-breaking ninth triumph in the competition but have not gone all the way since defeating Cardiff City on penalties in the final of the 2011-12 edition.
Meanwhile, five-time winners Chelsea most recently lifted the crown in the 2014-15 season by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, and the two teams are no strangers to facing one another in cup competitions.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at Chelsea and Liverpool's head-to-head record in all cup matches.
© Reuters
Chelsea and Liverpool have locked horns a total of 19 times in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, with the Blues boasting 11 wins compared to seven for the Merseysiders, with one EFL Cup semi-final tie in the 2014-15 season ending in a draw.
In terms of EFL Cup clashes, Chelsea have come up trumps in four of the eight meetings between the sides in the tournament, with Sunday's game being a repeat of the 2005 final in which Jose Mourinho's men won 3-2 after extra time.
The very first time that Liverpool and Chelsea locked horns outside of the Football League was a quarter-final showdown in the 1931-32 FA Cup, with the capital side winning 2-0 before defeat to Newcastle United in the semi-finals.
Notable recent FA Cup meetings between Liverpool and Chelsea include the Reds' 2-1 semi-final win en route to the trophy in 2006, but the Blues enacted revenge by seeing off their Merseyside counterparts in the 2012 final.
© Reuters
The first EFL Cup meeting between the two clubs took place in the 1977-78 tournament, and Kenny Dalglish was on the scoresheet in a 2-0 triumph for Liverpool before their spate of dominance in the competition in the 1980s.
Liverpool and Chelsea have been familiar foes in the latter stages of the EFL Cup since the turn of the millennium, with the Blues advancing 2-0 from the 2007-08 quarter-finals before Liverpool won by the same scoreline in the last eight during their triumphant 2011-12 run.
The two sides could not be separated in the 2014-15 semi-final first leg after a 1-1 draw at Anfield, but a 94th-minute Branislav Ivanovic winner in extra time in the second leg ultimately sent Chelsea to Wembley.
Sunday's final will mark the first EFL Cup meeting between the clubs since Chelsea won 2-1 at Anfield in the third round of the 2018-19 edition, and Blues supporters will hope for more of the same from their side given their strong cup record versus the eight-time winners.
Ben Knapton
