[ad_pod ]
FootballFanCast.com’s Fixture In Focus coverage is brought to you by 5p0rtz. Try 5p0rtz’s Beat the Streak Predictor and you could win £1million! Click here to play.
Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League this Saturday in a clash between two exciting and evenly-matched teams. Both employ attacking brands of football, both have scored 14 Premier League goals this season and both are yet to lose in the top flight. Throw in the fact they faced each other just a matter of days ago in Carabao Cup and this should be a cracker.
But can history tell us anything about the likely result, how could the referee influence the match, which manager faces the biggest injury problems and which key battle will have the most decisive impact? Our Match Preview covers everything you need to know in time for Saturday’s 5.30pm kickoff…
What History Tells Us
There’s been incredibly little to choose between Chelsea and Liverpool throughout the Premier League era, separated by just one win, three goals and three clean sheets – all in the Blues’ favour. In fact, there’s only one side Liverpool have lost more Premier League games to over the last 26 seasons, their bitter rivals Manchester United.
Down the years, there have of course been significant sways in results. Chelsea managed to beat Liverpool just once during their first nine Premier League encounters, but then enjoyed seven wins out of eight between 2003 and 2006 – when the rivalry between the two clubs, fought on a variety of fronts, was at its most intense.
Recently, the Blues have enjoyed the upper hand, losing just two of the last 12 top flight meetings and winning four of them – including the most recent at Stamford Bridge at the end of last season, when the west Londoners knew only a victory would keep their top four hopes alive. They then went to Newcastle on the final day and lost 3-0.
Key Battle – Eden Hazard vs Mohamed Salah
[ffc_insert title=”Try 5p0rtz’s Beat The Streak Predictor and you could win £1MILLION!” name=”Win £1MILLION with 5p0rtz” image_ link=”https://app.5p0rtz.com/?affiliate=FFCeditorialwidget” link_text=”Click here to play”]
It may seem a slightly superficial point of analysis to merely point out the top talents in either team, but considering the offensive nature of both sides and their talismanic statuses in the respective squads, this match could quickly transgress into effectively a shootout between Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard – two players who strike fear into opposition defences like few others in the Premier League.
We’re still waiting for the Egyptian international to truly spring to life this term, but he’s managed to net three times in the Premier League including last time out against Southampton. Hazard, meanwhile, appears to be bringing his game to new heights and has started the season with five goals and two assists in just four Premier League starts. Anybody at Anfield doubting his world-class quality received a timely reminder on Wednesday night – a wonder-strike after twisting Naby Keita and Alberto Moreno inside-out.
Ref in Focus – Andre Marriner
Andre Marriner is certainly up there with the Premier League’s more lenient referees, ranking no higher than 16th from the 21 to work in the top flight last season for fouls per tackle and fouls, yellow cards and penalties per game.
While that should ensure an exciting, flowing match at Stamford Bridge that isn’t disrupted by needless decisions – which is exactly what we all want – the danger lays in how passive Marriner tends to be, especially in big games. He’s demonstrated a real reluctance to make big calls and while nobody likes games to be decided by them, sometimes the actions of the players make it inevitable. Liverpool and Chelsea could both end up feeling they’ve suffered a few injustices come the full-time whistle on Saturday.
In good news for the neutrals though, just 11% of the games Marriner oversaw last season ended in draws – so we should see a winner one way or the other.
Team News
Maurizio Sarri has settled on his preferred Chelsea XI pretty quickly, but a few injury problems will influence his selection this time around. Antonio Rudiger, who has started all of Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures so far, remains an injury doubt after missing the Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool. However, 22-year-old Andreas Christensen withdrew at Anfield due to a stomach ache rather than an outright injury, so he looks likeliest to come back into the side and partner David Luiz at the heart of defence.
Pedro, meanwhile, could well claim a place in the squad but is a doubt as well, suggesting Willian will continue as part of the front three despite the Spaniard’s impressive form at the start of the campaign. The rest of Sarri’s side remains the same as the one that was fielded against West Ham last weekend.
Jurgen Klopp, likewise, has kept changes to a minimum this season despite Liverpool spending big during the summer and will be eager to bring a familiar back four to Stamford Bridge despite starting Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip at the heart of defence on Wednesday night.
In an ideal world, Joe Gomez will partner Virgil van Dijk at centre-back but the Dutchman is still a doubt for the weekend and there could end up being a very late call on whether he’ll start.
Jordan Henderson still hasn’t won over every Liverpool fan and the majority would likely prefer to see Naby Keita start in the engine room on Saturday. But a little pragmatism is in order here considering Chelsea’s offensive quality, and that should see the Reds skipper anchor the midfield with James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum just in front of him.
They’ve been arguably Liverpool’s best performers so far this season. Overall then, that’s nine changes from the side that lost to Chelsea in midweek
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”301408″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Fixture in Focus Chelsea v Liverpool”]