Manchester City, which secured the Premier League crown two weeks ago, is favored to win the competition for the first time in club history, despite losing to Chelsea twice in the past two months.
Coach Thomas Tuchel has revitalized Chelsea since he joined the club in January, leading it to a top-four Premier League finish.
It appeared to be a most inauspicious conclusion to a Premier League campaign reinvigorated by Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s new coach.
The Blues lost stalwart goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to a rib injury after the first half of the Premier League finale against Aston Villa.