Chelsea vs. Liverpool
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick off: 5:30PM
Two of the Premier League’s three remaining unbeaten sides face off at Stamford Bridge this evening as Chelsea play host to early pacesetters Liverpool.
Three days on from their eventful EFL Cup third-round tie at Anfield, which the Blues edged late on, the sides do battle all over again with three league points on the line.
Chelsea emerged victorious from their midweek cup tie on Merseyside thanks to the individual brilliance of star man Eden Hazard, who sent in the free kick for Emerson Palmieri’s leveller before taking matters into his own hands five minutes from time.
If not for Eden Hazard’s standout display, the Blues would almost certainly have crashed out of the domestic cup, fresh on the back of dropping their first league points at West Ham United last weekend.
As it is, the Londoners have enjoyed a near-perfect start to life under Maurizio Sarri, winning seven and drawing one of their opening eight fixtures in all competitions, having also overcome PAOK in last week’s Europa League opener.
Sarri initially claimed that he would need a few months to instil his favoured style of play on his new group, and while he has continued to play down title talk, the fast start made by Chelsea means that they must surely be considered serious contenders this term.
The form of Hazard, combined with the passing ability of Jorginho and the combative nature of Chelsea’s other midfield options, means hat the six-time English champions should certainly enjoy a better campaign than last time out when finishing outside of the top four entirely.
In the view of Sarri, regaining a Champions League berth and challenging for silverware would equate to a good first season at the helm, but even winning two major trophies in two seasons was not enough for the man he succeeded in West London.
The biggest concern for Sarri is the risk of fatigue setting in, with the Blues having to factor in Europa League matches this season – unlike two years ago when storming to the title – which made the Italian’s decision to field such a strong squad at PAOK last week all the more surprising.
Chelsea were made to pay with their below-par showing at the London Stadium a few days later, but a number of fringe players stepped up when needed at Anfield on Wednesday, and Sarri’s men now have a big chance to strike a second blow on rivals Liverpool in this early-season blockbuster.
Meanwhile, the defeat to Chelsea in the week was the first blemish for Jurgen Klopp in his third full season in charge, with his side being made to pay the price for a sluggish performance in the final stages of the match.
In truth, the Reds did not look like relinquishing their lead prior to Emerson converting from close range, but complacency was allowed to creep in and now a big showing is needed at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool were tipped as serious title contenders even before a ball was kicked this term, thanks to a perfect summer transfer window that saw Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri arrive, and they have lived up to the hype so far.
West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton have all tried and failed to take points off Klopp’s charges, with 17 goals being scored by the Reds and just two conceded.
Chelsea possible XI: Kepa, Alonso, Luiz, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Jorginho, Kante, Hazard, Giroud, Willian.
Liverpool possible XI: Alisson, Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Firmino, Salah.