Carabao Cup Final: Why Chelsea May Be Better Off Losing Final vs Liverpool

• EPL giants Chelsea are in danger of missing out on European football next season
• Winning the EFL Cup would afford them a chance to qualify for Conference League
• However, this would leave the Blues at the risk of breaching financial guidelines

Chelsea are scheduled to take on rivals Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, February 25, at Wembley Stadium.

The Blues sealed qualification to the final after beating Middlesbrough 6-2 on aggregate in the semis.

The Sunday final comes at a time when the west Londoners have endured a turbulent run of form and results across competitions.

Chelsea, who won the Champions League in 2021, failed to qualify for the competition this season following their 10th-place finish in the Premier League under three different managers.

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The Mauricio Pochettino-tutored side have experienced their own fair share of struggles this term, with the outfit currently sitting 10th with 35 points, 17 points off the top four.

According to GiveMeSport, the Carabao Cup final offers Chelsea a glorious chance to win a trophy after over a year of struggles since their takeover.

Why winning EFL Cup is bad news for Chelsea

Winning the Carabao Cup would also be a matter of pride for Chelsea as it will help them reestablish their reputation for winning trophies.

Additionally, for an 11th-placed team, winning the tournament comes with an added incentive as it offers a pathway to playing in Europe.

In fact, the winner of the crown is afforded a chance to qualify for the Europa Conference League as the team would enter the playoff round.

However, the Stamford Bridge landlords may actually be better off not winning the domestic tournament.

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The Athletic recently assessed the impact of winning the Carabao Cup on Chelsea's present financial situation.

The Blues are already trying not to breach the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR) this term, which allow for losses of £105m over a period of three years.

While the club are currently sure of not breaching the guidelines, qualifying for European football via the Carabao Cup would leave them at the risk of breaking the rules.

Given the circumstances, Football Finance Expert Kieran Maguire recently suggested Chelsea could be forced to follow the footsteps of AC Milan to be on the safer side.

"It could be in Chelsea’s interests to do the same as Milan. We’re moving into the realms of three-dimensional chess here, which some clubs are capable of playing," Kieran pointed out.

"If they are exceeding the UEFA limits, the question becomes: ‘Do we want to go and play in the Conference League next season?’. Because they won’t make any money from it," he continued.

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Having breached FFP in 2019, the Serie A giants struck a deal with UEFA to serve a one-year ban in Europe.

The Rossoneri went on to qualify for the Europa League in the following season.

How Chelsea can beat Liverpool

Sports Brief has previously explained what Chelsea needs to do to beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

The huge gulf between the two teams on the Premier League table means that the Reds will be the overwhelming favourites to win at Wembley.