Stamford Bridge will come alive tonight as Chelsea and Newcastle United will face off in the quarter-finals of the English League Cup, popularly called the Carabao Cup.
Both teams will be banking on reaching the final and hopefully winning the Carabao Cup to end the season with silverware.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea have been inconsistent this season, winning just six matches, drawing four, and suffering seven defeats. They currently sit in 10th position in the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the quarter-finals with a convincing 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in November. Goals from Benoît Badiashile and Raheem Sterling delivered a quarter-final ticket for Pochettino’s men.
Ahead of tonight’s cracker, Pochettino says he is not downplaying the relevance of the Carabao Cup as some suggest it is a ‘Mickey Mouse’ trophy, but the Argentine insists he will field his strongest side against Newcastle, noting that every club has the ambition of winning the trophy.
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“I don’t know which people are saying it’s like a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’, but honestly, we are not seeing it this way, and our players are not seeing it like this. We see it as a great opportunity to win,” Pochettino said on Chelsea’s website.
“In the 10 years or more since I came to England, I have seen how clubs celebrate winning this cup. Many big clubs have won it, and they were all happy to celebrate it, as were their fans.
“It’s one of our objectives, and we take it seriously. We will put out the best team possible tonight as if we are playing for a final.”
Chelsea have made it to the final twice in the last five editions of the Carabao Cup and will look to go all the way this time.
Newcastle, runners-up from last season are in sixth place in the Premier League standings, sealed their place with a 3-0 away triumph over Manchester United, avenging their loss in the final.
Eddie Howe will likely play his main squad as the Magpies set their sights on ending the season on a winning note.
Newcastle was eliminated from the Champions League and left without European competition. Still, the team has a good chance of breaking into the top four of the Premier League standings at the end of the season.
The final of the Carabao Cup will take place at Wembley Stadium on February 25, 2024.
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