This is what Jurgen Klopp said before the League Cup final against Chelsea

Before League Cup matches, it's always Pep Lijnders who gives the press conference, so we've heard very little from Jurgen Klopp in the lead-up to the final.

Now the German has also made his assessments ahead of the first (and hopefully not the last) final of the season in 2023/24.

-We changed the team a lot (in the semi-final matches). This tournament was also an advantage for us, because in many matches we had 95% of the team available, which gave a chance to more players.

– It's also the Caoimhin Kelleher Championship, and now he has a chance to win it for the second time in his career. It's so cool! He's won a lot already, but when he's in goal I know it might look a little different for the boys. So far, there have only been positive things to say about the League Cup, He told Liverpoolfc.com.

2022 and Caoimhin Kelleher

It's been just over a month since Chelsea were last in the opposition half. The match ended with a strong 4-1 victory at Anfield, but Klopp knows very well that today's match will be completely different.

– That result does not help us. We have to replay the game, and that could fire up the opponent a little bit. Finals are always a different game, and of course it's not at home. Now there is a blue part and a red part. We know what our fans are capable of, but the Chelsea people are also looking forward to this match.

– In the final, no team is the favourite. You have to start from scratch and you have to work hard to get any advantage.

The last time Liverpool and Chelsea met in the League Cup final was in 2022. The match then went to penalties, and 11 penalties were needed to decide the winner. Caoimhin Kelleher then became the great champion.

– I remember the two Chelsea matches (in 2022) as some of the best draws I have ever participated in. There were amazing tactical matches, with a lot of intensity. 0-0 and 0-0, this is strange, says the Liverpool coach.

-I've known Caoimhin for eight years, so I've watched him grow up… literally! He deserves it, because he is a great goalkeeper. I've never been afraid to mention it publicly!

Unexpected heroes

Klopp is a master of making all of Liverpool's players feel special, so the League Cup is an excellent opportunity to give the 'reserves' a chance they wouldn't normally get. The German remembers…

– Two years ago, it might have been Taki Minamino's tournament with all the goals he scored. He played a very important role. Now it is perhaps Cody Jacobo who has scored the most goals for Liverpool in the tournament.

The Dutch are a good example. Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz were favored over him in the Premier League, but in the League Cup the 24-year-old was given several opportunities. It has yielded four goals in five matches.

– There were also young boys who had minutes, which was very important for them and for us. You can see that minutes are helping them and the Premier League games after that show that as well.

– Jarrel (Kwansah) has seen amazing progress, and so has Connor (Bradley). Bobby Clarke, James McConnell, a lot of good things happened during the season. I could even mention Owen Beck, who came back from Dundee because of our problems at left-back.

Klopp confirms once again that this tournament belongs to the youth.

– There are great strides from the youth, regardless of the tournament it is about. They got us to the final two years ago and helped us win. The German concludes that they have now done the same thing.

The League Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea kicks off at 4pm and will be broadcast live on TV3+ and Viaplay.