FA Cup Final Betting Tips: 3 Top Picks for Liverpool v Chelsea

For the second time this season, Chelsea and Liverpool will go head-to-head in a domestic cup final – and betting sites believe it could be a tight encounter.

These two teams could not be separated after two hours of football in the League Cup final. A 0-0 draw was not representative of how the match played out: there were several disallowed goals and both teams created numerous chances in what was a thrilling game at Wembley. 

Liverpool ultimately triumphed on penalties after a marathon shoot-out which finally ended when Kepa Arrizabalaga blazed the ball over the bar after 21 successful spot-kicks in a row.

Chelsea will be looking to avenge that painful defeat on Saturday. They reached the final by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 in the semis last month, having previously knocked out Chesterfield, Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town and Middlesbrough.

Liverpool stormed into a 3-0 lead against Manchester City in the semi-finals, before holding off their rivals after Pep Guardiola’s side scored twice in the second half. 

The Reds have also eliminated Shrewsbury Town, Cardiff City, Norwich City and Nottingham Forest from this year’s competition.

Liverpool’s Quadruple Bid Still (Just About) Alive

With the League Cup already in the bag, Liverpool are still in with a chance of winning an unprecedented four major trophies this term. 

However, their hopes of finishing on top of the pile in the Premier League are fading fast: Manchester City hold a three-point advantage and have a superior goal difference with two fixtures remaining. 

The best football betting sites consider Guardiola’s men to be odds-on favourites, with several bookmakers offering odds of 1/16 on City winning the title for the fourth time in five years.

If anything, that will only make Liverpool more determined to triumph in the FA Cup. Last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur has handed City the edge in the title race, but that was not a bad result in isolation. 

Their form in 2022 has been magnificent: since beginning the year with a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool have won 25 of their 30 matches in all competitions – and three of those non-victories were irrelevant, since the Reds still went through in cup games against Arsenal, Inter and Benfica.

This Liverpool team is suited to the big occasion. It is not a coincidence that they have outperformed Manchester City in the Champions League in recent years, even while Guardiola’s side have been marginally more consistent in the Premier League. 

Klopp will nevertheless be desperate to improve upon a mediocre record in the domestic cup competitions during his tenure. February’s victory was the first time Liverpool have won the League Cup under their current boss, who has not yet got his hands on the FA Cup. 

The Reds still have plenty to play for elsewhere, but their focus this weekend will be exclusively on Chelsea and you should taken that into account when you look at the FA Cup betting for this match-up.

Chelsea Look To End Turbulent Season On A High

After some faltering form of late, Chelsea virtually secured Champions League qualification with a 3-0 victory over Leeds United on Wednesday. 

That win came as a relief to Thomas Tuchel, who no longer has to worry about his team potentially being caught by Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the top four (although Arsenal could still pip them to third).

This has been a turbulent campaign for Chelsea. Roman Abramovich’s 19-year stewardship came to an end in dramatic fashion, and for a while there was a slim possibility that the club could even go bust. 

Todd Boehly’s consortium is now poised to complete its takeover though, and Chelsea have the chance to end the season on a high by winning what would be only their second FA Cup in 10 years.

The Blues looked to be back to their best against Leeds. Jesse Marsch’s side did not put up much of a fight and spent the majority of the match playing with 10 men after Daniel James was sent off for a terrible tackle on Mateo Kovacic, but Chelsea were fluent in attack and solid at the back. 

It is a combination they will need to replicate if the 3.4 underdogs with Betfair are to overcome the 2.1 favourites in London this weekend.

Back Liverpool To Win Their First FA Cup In 16 Years

The Premier League table shows that Liverpool are a better team than Chelsea: they have accrued 16 more points, scored 16 more goals and conceded seven fewer. 

Yet in three head-to-head meetings between the pair this season, Liverpool and Chelsea have been unable to be separated. A 1-1 draw at Anfield was followed by a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, before that scoreless stalemate after 120 minutes of the League Cup final.

That will give Chelsea hope going into Saturday’s showdown, but if Liverpool play to their potential they should have too much for Tuchel’s team. 

The Reds have the bit between their teeth right now and have got stronger since those Premier League clashes in August and January. Chelsea have been inconsistent of late, failing to win five of their last eight top-flight encounters. 

Only two of the last 14 FA Cup finals have gone to extra time, so back Liverpool to come out on top in 90 minutes.

The anytime goalscorer market is worth pursuing and Sadio Mane could be the best pick at 3.0 with Ladbrokes. 

The Senegal international has regularly been deployed through the middle in recent weeks and has found the back of the net eight times in his last 11 outings across three different competitions.

Our final tip is for both teams to score, which can be found at 1.7 with bet365. The aforementioned League Cup final may have finished goalless, but the amount of chances both teams created suggests a repeat is unlikely this weekend.