Liverpool will be aiming to get back to winning ways against England’s biggest giants when they host Chelsea this Saturday. Just three points separate the two sides with both clubs in great form heading into the tie. The Blues have won four league matches in a row and have flourished in recent weeks with Eden Hazard playing just behind £70m man, Alvaro Morata. And in the Red corner, Jurgen Klopp’s men have been oozing with confidence and have former Chelsea star, Mohamed Salah, to thank for that. The Egyptian winger is the Premier League’s leading scorer with nine goals and will be out to prove that the Blues made a huge mistake by letting him go, for those who think it is not proven already.
To Win
Liverpool 11/10
Draw 5/2
Chelsea 47/20
Liverpool
Liverpool will be looking to make it four league wins in a row when Chelsea come to town this weekend. The Reds have an impressive record over the Blues, unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions against the champions.
At Anfield, Liverpool are yet to taste defeat this season, winning four of their six encounters. More impressively, no side in England has a better defensive record at home than Liverpool, conceding just once – level with Manchester United.
Their defence has received massive criticism this season, but they’re getting the job done, keeping clean sheets in five of their six games. And with the attack that Liverpool possess, it’s hard to stop them when they’re pushing forward.
When Liverpool signed Salah for £34.3m, I’ll admit to being one of those to say “where are they going to with a Chelsea reject”, but like every other Salah doubter, my mouth has been shut this season.
He’s look composed, got a wicked left boot, and his pace never left him. Jurgen Klopp has spoken out on Salah’s form after he netting his ninth goal this past weekend, saying that Salah left the Blues as a ‘kid’, now he is a man.
“He’s not like ‘now I will show you the real Mo Salah’,” Klopp said, as quoted by Goal.
“He’s completely relaxed. For sure he wanted to show a little bit he’s better than that, but everyone knew it already.
“He was a kid when he came to Chelsea, and we have heard a few times that’s quite difficult, and in that time they were really successful. It was quite difficult to come through.
“He’s a man now, he was a kid at Chelsea, now he’s a man. That’s good,” Klopp concluded.
Along with fellow African star, Sadio Mane, Liverpool have plenty of pace on the flanks to hurt Chelsea’s wing-backs, and with the creativity of Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, the Reds look an unstoppable force.
Chelsea
The Blues will be hoping to turn their recent run over Liverpool around as they plot to take a six-point lead over the Merseyside giants. Although Chelsea have not beaten the Reds in seven matches, they’re somehow unbeaten at Anfield in six meetings.
There’s been loads of talk about Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham, but not many pundits and experts have given Chelsea a mention. They’ve been bubbling under the radar and find themselves in third spot coming into this game.
Antonio Conte’s men have been a bit shaky at Stamford Bridge this season, but on the road, they’ve been superb. Chelsea are the league’s second highest goalscorers away from home and have the second best defence – both bettered by only Man City.
Chelsea will be glad that £70m hitman, Alvaro Morata, has hit the ground running from the start. He’s had a hand in 12 goals in 11 games for the Blues this season and the Chelsea faithful have already forgotten the name ‘Diego Costa’.
Morata has netted five times away from home and has formed a telepathic understanding with the likes of Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas. No matter who chips in with the goals, Hazard will always be Chelsea’s go-to man. After smashing West Brom 4-0 at the Hawthorns, Conte spoke on the pair playing together in a front two, and hopes that they continue to play in the same sort of fashion.
“I would like to speak about the performance of the whole team because today [Saturday] we showed great compactness and great focus,” said Conte.
“But for sure, there is a good link with the two strikers, Morata and Hazard. I hope they continue in this way. If you want to do something important, it is very important to find stability and find the right balance,” he concluded.
The Blues can hurt any team in Europe if they’re up for it, and with players like Hazard, Morata and Fabregas, you can never write them off, especially under a mastermind tactician in Conte.
Probable line-ups:
Liverpool: 4-3-3
Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Henderson, Lallana, Coutinho; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Chelsea: 3-5-1-1
Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard; Morata.
Prediction: Liverpool Win/Draw & Both Teams to Score (21/20)
As tough as this will be for both clubs, I don’t see Liverpool losing at home. At the same time, no clean sheets will be kept this time around. Chelsea’s left-wingback, Marcos Alonso, won’t be able to deal with the threat that Mohamed Salah poses, and with Adam Lallana returning, the Reds have their engine back. I quite like the look of Liverpool on the Win/Draw Double Chance and Both Teams to Score, but if you want to have a punt on Hollywoodbets’ price boosts and specials, then I suggest you back Salah and Morata Both to Score at 9/2.
Jesse Nagel
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