League Cup final Sarri's last stand as Man City's quadruple hunt heats up

Beating the Premier League champions to win a trophy may seem like an harsh ultimatum for the Italian just eight months into his reign at Stamford Bridge.

But the Chelsea hierarchy are notoriously trigger-happy and the Blues' rapid dip in form since beating City in the league in December has left Sarri close to joining a stellar cast of coaches to be cast aside.

The nadir came in a 6-0 humiliation at the hands of City just two weeks ago, the Blues' heaviest defeat in any competition since 1991 and one that saw them slip to sixth in the league.

A FA Cup elimination to Manchester United followed, in which tellingly even the fans, who have stayed loyal to previous managers sacked by Roman Abramovich, turned on Sarri.

A thumping 5-1 aggregate victory over Malmo in the Europa League offered some respite before the club was hit with another body blow on Friday in the form of a year-long transfer ban by FIFA for irregularities in the signing of minors.

A win at Wembley this weekend would give the atmosphere around the club a much-needed lift and hand Sarri a stay of execution.

The former Napoli boss would also have a trophy to show for his first season in charge something lauded Premier League rivals Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp have still not managed years into their respective reigns.