How many substitutes are Liverpool allowed in the League Cup final?

Liverpool take on Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday, with the squad rules for the showpiece clash at Wembley different to previous rounds in the tournament.

The Reds have made it to the final of the League Cup and will take on Chelsea in the decider on Sunday evening.

Jurgen Klopp, who has used a total of 29 players throughout the tournament so far, is expected to field as close to a full-strength side as possible in pursuit of a trophy.

This could leave some of his squad players disappointed, having played a crucial role on the road to the final, and there is a question of who misses out entirely.

So how many substitutes are allowed in the League Cup final, and how many can Klopp bring on?

 

How big a squad can Liverpool name?

As has been the case throughout the League Cup, a squad of 20 players can be named for the final.

That means 11 starters and nine substitutes.

 

So how many changes can Klopp make?

Unlike in the Premier League, any side can make a total of five substitutions throughout the game.

However, these must be made at a maximum of three intervals during the game, with another opportunity to change coming at half-time.

So, for example, Klopp could sub one player on in the first half, two at half-time, another in the 60th minute and another in stoppage time.

 

But what is different for the final?

The EFL rules change slightly from the semi-final stage.

With extra time introduced for the semi-finals and final, an addition opportunity to change is permitted for both sides in the event an extra 30 minutes is played.

However, it remains the case that only five substitutions can be made.

 

What has Klopp said on the five sub rule?

Both Klopp and his opposite number at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, spoke in favour of the five sub rule being introduced in the Premier League ahead of a vote in December.

And earlier this month, the manager spoke again on its importance, as relayed by the Guardian:

“Five subs is a must-have for the future.

“It should be now already but at least for the future because we have to make sure we give the players opportunity to save energy.

“Because they cannot do it on the pitch we have to do it like this.

“Nobody thinks it’s an advantage from a tactical point of view. A few people think: ‘That’s why Klopp wants five subs, because he can bring these guys on’.

“It has nothing to do with that.”