Chelsea and Mourinho would usually head into a Premier League match against Liverpool full of confidence. Unfortunately for the home side their poor start to the season hasn’t relented yet. They are now looking to bounce back from a sickening League Cup exit midweek with a visit from Liverpool with their new manager in tow.
Life at Anfield hasn’t started quite how Klopp would have hoped. The poor standard of the squad he has inherited is more evident than ever since his magic touch is yet to make any real difference. Liverpools troubles however seem to pale in comparison to those of their opponent. Chelsea currently look a side on the brink of devastation with results causing more than enough concerns club harmony seems to be coming to the fore as well. When the two sides do battle on Saturday for once it appears that neither is a clear favourite. However, if there was ever a result that could help turn the tide for their season it would be this one. A win for either Chelsea or Liverpool would do untold help to their confidence going forward and as a result there is reason to believe that this could make for entertaining viewing. That is if both sides decide to turn in a decent level of performance that has evaded them so far. The motivation is there, but which side is going to take the opportunity..
Team News
Mourinho’s biggest concern going into the weekend is the injury that striker Diego Costa picked up during their League Cup clash. The Spanish front man left the game after half an hour with no return date known yet. With first team stopper Courtois still missing Begovic will retain his spot between the sticks. A bonus for the Chelsea supporters is that Ivanovic and Pedro could be available for the game. A positive for the club when they don’t have many at the moment.
Jurgen Klopp would’ve been hoping to get Daniel Sturridge on the pitch for such a big fixture, but unfortunately Sturridge will be missing for another week at least. He should be able to call on his goal scorer from last week though with Christian Benteke back fit. Other than that it is the same injury list as last week for Klopp with the long term absentees still as they were.
Statistics
- Liverpool haven’t beaten Chelsea since May 2012.
- That’s no wins in 8 against London side for Liverpool.
- The last time they beat them at Stamford Bridge was in November 2011.
- Liverpool haven’t lost in their last 5 Premier League matches, while Chelsea have lost 2 of their last 5.
- In the 164 meetings between the two sides Liverpool have won 70, Chelsea won 57 and the other 37.
- Chelsea’s biggest win in the fixture was 6-1 in 1937/38 season.
- Liverpool’s biggest win in the fixture was 7-4 in 1946/47 season.
Comparisons
Top Scorers
Chelsea: Willian (2), Diego Costa (2), Gary Cahill (1)
Liverpool: Christian Benteke (3), Danny Ings (2), Daniel Sturridge (2)
Chances Created
Chelsea: Eden Hazard (29), Cesc Fabregas (19), Willian (15)
Liverpool: James Milner (25), Alberto Moreno (17, Phillipe Coutinho (9)
Avg Defensive Actions
Chelsea: Gary Cahill (7), Kurt Zouma (6), Cesar Azpilecueta (6)
Liverpool: Martin Skrtel (110, Dejan Lovren (10), Mamadou Sakho (8)
Key Players
Chelsea: Willian
With Chelsea struggling to find a player who is going to lift them out of the dirt they find themselves in it is a struggle to decide who their key men are. Without Costa, Fabregas and Hazard performing it is an opportunity for Willian to cement himself as a key man in the current champions’ side. The Brazilian playmaker has always been a great player but he has always been capable of adding more hard statistics to his game. More goals and assists are needed in his game and now is the time when Chelsea need to him to turn up. Hazard doesn’t look like the player he did last season, in fact none of the Chelsea squad do. Willian should se this as his chance to become a marquee name in the Chelsea 11 and be the man to get their season back on track.
Liverpool: James Milner
With little in the form of stand-out performances for Liverpool since Klopp took over it is hard to think who their key players are as well. The man who has held the armband since his appointment is James Milner. The infamous premier league workhorse has been just that for his new manager, a workhorse. He is the man to lift the side with his efforts and against a side like Chelsea they will need his attitude to help set the tone. Klopp rightfully trusts Milner to lead the side and he will continue to do so. Milner is capable of being more than just a hard worker on his day. Against a wounded Chelsea side Milner should smell blood and see a opportunity to cement himself as a fan favourite as he is the man who leads Jurgen Klopp to his first victory as Liverpool boss and gets his reign off and running.
Prediction
I’m going to go with a big shout and say this is where Klopp will claim his first league win as Liverpool boss. A win away at Stamford Bridge that will really kick off his revolution at Liverpool and further raise criticism for the special one and his position at Chelsea.
2-1 Liverpool win
Get a home win at 10/11 with Bet365
Get an away win at 7/2 with BetfredÂ
Get a draw at 11/4 with William Hill
