Mauricio Pochettino believes his Chelsea side have “clicked” in recent weeks but admits Liverpool are still the favourites to win the Carabao Cup on Sunday.
The Blues face Liverpool at Wembley having been beaten 4-1 by Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield last month.
But Pochettino believes their cup final meeting will be “completely different” to their recent Premier League clash.
“We arrive in this game with different circumstances, of course the circumstances have changed,” Pochettino said.
“It is difficult to compare and to say it will have some influence, the game we played in the past. But of course what you learn is that Liverpool is a very competitive team. We need to match that.
“I think in the last few weeks we’ve been learning a lot. I think we arrive with very good momentum, we arrive in a very good condition, and I think after Wolves, competing against Aston Villa, Palace, and Manchester City, I think provides the team with confidence and the trust.
“The team, now, has started to be awake in the competition. It’s like a click, to change in the way we compete that maybe we were missing in the first part of the competition, in the season.
“The circumstances are completely different for us and for them.”
Ahead of the game, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insisted his side were not the favourites to lift the Carabao Cup but Pochettino says Chelsea cannot be considered the favourites either.
“He’s one of the best, with Pep (Guardiola), coaches in the world, and he’s clever enough to know that when you arrive to play a final, always circumstances can happen,” Pochettino added.
“If they are not the favourites, we are not the favourites. If he said that, for me it’s Liverpool that are favourites because they have the experience to compete like a team and have been involved in different finals.
“I think many of our players are not only new in this competition, in the Premier League and in the Carabao Cup, for some of them maybe it’s their first final. That is why I favourite them, in my opinion, but he’s clever enough to say ‘okay, 50/50’.”
