Combined XI: Chelsea v Liverpool (Premier League era)

Ahead of Sunday's EFL Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley, we have assembled a combined XI made up of the most distinguished players to have represented each side in the Premier League era.

Two of the biggest names in English football, Liverpool and Chelsea have a combined 25 league titles between them, the most recent of which was claimed by the Reds in 2020.

The two teams are currently experiencing contrasting fortunes, however, with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool sitting top of the Premier League and Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea languishing in mid-table.

We take a look at some of the best players to have turned out for Liverpool and Chelsea in the history of the Premier League in the latest instalment of our Combined XI series.

Our selected Combined XI lines up in a 4-3-3 formation:

GK: Petr Cech

Undoubtedly one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League era, Petr Cech won a total of four Premier League titles during his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2015.

Signed for a snip at £7m from Rennes in 2004, the ex-Czech Republic captain was an instant revelation at Stamford Bridge, keeping a record 24 clean sheets in his first full season as Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions for the first time.

A towering figure at 6ft 5ins, Cech was an incredibly consistent operator who perfectly marshaled one of the Premier League's best ever defences led by Chelsea skipper John Terry under the auspices of Jose Mourinho in the mid-2000s.
 

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold

A player who has helped transcend the role of the full-back in the modern game, Liverpool academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a seismic impact at Anfield since breaking into the first team in 2016.

Part of the Reds side who won the club's first ever Premier League title in 2020, Alexander-Arnold has developed into one of Liverpool's most creative players from right-back, with the local boy blessed with supreme technical ability and vision.

The 25-year-old's creative influence is underlined by the fact he is already the joint-record holder for Premier League assists by a defender along with Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson on 57.
 

CB: John Terry

The first pick at the heart of the defence is legendary Chelsea captain John Terry, who amassed five Premier League titles during his decorated time with the Blues.

A natural leader, Terry was a rock at the back for Chelsea who would put his body on the line for his boyhood club time and time again.

As well as being a physically robust and fearless defender, Terry was also a terrific reader of the game with underrated technical ability.
 

CB: Virgil van Dijk

Next to Terry is the colossal figure that is Liverpool's Dutch giant Virgil van Dijk.

Signed from Southampton for a record fee for a defender of £75m in 2018, Van Dijk has since proved to be worth every penny by emerging into one of Europe's top defenders.

A physical specimen capable of dominating even the most powerful of forwards, Liverpool captain Van Dijk is also extremely technically accomplished for a defender and adept at stepping out from the back and launching attacks for the Reds.
 

LB: Ashley Cole

One of the finest left-backs in English football history, Ashley Cole was a full-back who could do it all.

Defensively outstanding - as one of the few defenders to have shackled the great Cristiano Ronaldo effectively - Cole was also capable of providing a threat in the final third on the overlap.

After making a controversial switch from London rivals Arsenal in 2006, Cole went on to make 337 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions across eight years at Stamford Bridge.
 

CM: N'Golo Kante

Propping up the midfield is French World Cup winner N'Golo Kante, who won the Premier League title in his first season as a Chelsea player following his move from reigning champions Leicester City in the summer of 2016.

One of the best defensive midfielders in the history of the Premier League, Kante was a tireless operator with a sixth sense for sniffing out danger in front of his defence.

Voted the PFA Players' Player of the Year as Chelsea claimed the Premier League in 2017, Kante had the engine to do the work of two players and an invaluable knack of making interceptions which helped to launch counter attacks for his team.
 

CM: Steven Gerrard

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is the second pick in the midfield three, with the all-action midfielder spending the entirety of his Premier League career with his boyhood club.

A midfielder with an all-round skillset - with both the tenacity to win individual duels and the skill to score goals and make assists - Gerrard was a much loved captain at Anfield who was one of the best players in the country in his prime.

Although unable to get his hands on an elusive Premier League title, Gerrard will still forever be remembered as a bonafide icon of the English game.
 

CM: Frank Lampard

Alongside Gerrard in the engine room is his long-time Premier League adversary and England international teammate Frank Lampard.

One of the finest goalscoring midfielders in football history, Lampard's total of 177 Premier League goals ranks him sixth in the competition's all-time standings alongside some of the most prolific strikers the English game has ever seen.

Although renowned for his goalscoring ability, Lampard was a very well rounded midfielder with an impressive passing range and tireless work rate.
 

RW: Mo Salah

On the right of the front three is Liverpool icon Mo Salah, who has won three Premier League Golden Boots since arriving at Anfield from Roma in 2017.

A forward player with remarkable consistency - having hit over 20 Premier League goals in four separate seasons - Salah has already cemented his legendary status at Anfield.

A key part of Liverpool's title-winning side of 2019/20, Salah is tigerish in his pursuit for goals and is capable of finding the net in a variety of circumstances - from long range screamers to instinctive close range tap ins.
 

ST: Luis Suarez

Up front is Uruguayan hitman Luis Suarez, with the ex-Liverpool talisman one of the best strikers of his generation.

Although only at Anfield for a relatively short period of three-and-a-half season, Suarez had a devastating impact in the English top flight.

Possessing a typically South American never say die mentality and technical prowess, Suarez's 2013/14 campaign - in which he scored 31 goals in 33 games as the Reds agonisingly missed out on the title to Manchester City - arguably goes down as the best individual season of any player in Premier League history.
 

LW: Eden Hazard

Completing this mouthwatering front three is the magisterial Eden Hazard, who was the darling of the Chelsea support during his seven year spell at the club between 2012 and 2019.

Winning two Premier League titles with the Blues - in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 - Hazard was one of the most skilful players in the country whilst at Chelsea, with the Belgian maestro's dribbling ability and agility allowing him to eliminate defenders with ease.

Equally capable of both scoring goals and assisting them, Hazard registered an outstanding 139 goal contributions in 245 Premier League games for Chelsea, and earned the prestigious PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 2014/15.