Chelsea V Liverpool – Sunday 4th October

 

Chelsea V Liverpool

 

 

Kick-off: Sunday 4^th October – 16:00 GMT

Venue: Stamford Bridge

TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1

 

 

 

Chelsea

 

League Position: 2nd

Recent Form: WWWWL

 

  

After an immaculate start to the season, Chelsea suffered their first major setback of the new campaign, and it was a surprise one at that, as Wigan Athletic stunned the Chelsea fans and the entire footballing nation as they somewhat strolled to a 3-1 victory at The DW stadium last Saturday. Chelsea never really got going in that game and, for the very first time this season, Carlo Ancelotti actually has his work cut out, especially as Chelsea’s next game in the league is against a rejuvenated Liverpool, a team Carlo Ancelotti will have nightmares about after the ‘Reds’ stunned AC Milan by winning the 2005 Champions League final while Ancelotti was at the helm.

 

 

Not only will Carlo Ancelotti have something to prove against an old adversary but so will the Chelsea players, as the ‘Blues’ aim to bounce straight back from their recent and first defeat of the season against an on song Liverpool. However, the main bulk of the Chelsea players will remember the last time Liverpool came and visited, with Liverpool winning the last encounter at Stamford Bridge 1-0, dashing Chelsea’s four-and-a-half-year unbeaten record at the time. However, Xabi Alonso was the only scorer that day and with his departure already paving the way for some hefty criticism for the makeshift Liverpool midfield, will Chelsea overrun the likes of Lucas and Mascherano in the centre of the park in Alonso’s absence.

 

 

Well, if Chelsea’s most recent performance is anything to go by then NO! Chelsea weren’t at the races against Wigan, with just a select few actually putting a respectable performance, mainly just Flourent Malouda, who looked a real threat down the left flank before he was rather bizarrely substituted in wake of Petr Cech’s dismissal. However, with Joe Cole back to full fitness, Malouda now has a battle on his hands to retain his place and will that spur him on to put in a big shift this Sunday?

 

Chelsea can only improve on their recent outing, although, they could of asked for a much easier fixture then a game with a rampant Liverpool to heal some open wounds. However, if Chelsea are to regain the title then they will need to beat the big boys this season, starting with a travelling Liverpool. However, Chelsea only managed to win one game against the so called ‘Big Four’ last term, with that win coming against an out-of-sorts Arsenal team at the time. They picked up just a single point against United while Liverpool completed a league double over them last season, beating the ‘Blues’ 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and 2-0 at Anfield. That is certainly food for thought for any potential Chelsea backer and the manager himself; Carlo Ancelotti.

 

 

 

Liverpool

 

League Position: 3rd

Recent Form: LWWWW

 

  

Liverpool were in a rampant mood at the weekend as they crushed an already crumbling Hull City on Saturday. The 6-1 score line didn’t flatter Liverpool in the slightest as the ‘reds’ dominated proceedings from start to finish. That was their fifth win of the season, their fourth on the spin, and it was enough to see Liverpool remain in third position as they keep up their pursuit of both Manchester United and Chelsea at the very top of the table.

 

  

Although Liverpool were expected and heavily fancied to win quite comfortably at home to Hull last Saturday, we must not disregard that Liverpool did have a problem with complacency last season, especially against the smaller teams, with Hull actually holding the ‘Reds’ to a 2-2 draw last term. However, Rafael Benitez has learnt some valuable lessons since then and he ensured Liverpool would have no problems dispatching Hull City the second time around as an inform Fernando Torres stole the show as he bagged his fourth Liverpool hat-trick. The Spanish striker was in sensational form and all his goals were neatly taken and fine solo efforts, and he demonstrated why he is one of the best, maybe even thee best, striker in the world at current.

  

 

Steven Gerrard was also instrumental in Liverpool’s 6-1 rout of Hull and, with the pair bang-in-form at current, who would want to face such a deadly and prolific duo. Torres has eight goals already this season, scoring five in two league outings, while Steven Gerrard has bagged three goals in the league thus far. The pair are pivotal for Liverpool this season but, however, were one of them to suffer an injury setback, would that spell the end for Liverpool’s title challenge?

  

Liverpool do lack strength in depth this year, although injuries to some of their decent fringe players hasn’t helped their cause. However, both Fabio Aurelio & Daniel Agger are back in training, and they will bolster a weak Liverpool bench, while Alberto Aquilani, the 20M signing from Roma, is close to a return which should excite the red side of Merseyside.

 

 

 

Head-to-Head:

 

 

Chelsea W: 5 Liverpool W: 3 Draws: 2

 

 

It’s Chelsea who have enjoyed the most amount of success in the more recent encounters between the two giants of English football. However, it was Liverpool who recorded a rare league double over Chelsea last season when Liverpool beat the ‘Blues’ 2-0 at Anfield and 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, although, that was Liverpool’s first win at The Bridge for three years, when Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup back in 2006. However, Chelsea have lost just once in five matches at home to Liverpool in the league, with Liverpool’s previous success at The Bridge, before last season, coming way back in the 2003/2004 season when the ‘Reds’ won 1-0.

 

 

Over 2.5 Goals: 1 Under 2.5 Goals: 9

 

 

The defences have always prevailed in recent league encounters, with goals at a premium whenever these two clash in the Premiership. There is generally more goal action at Anfield but it’s normally a drab affair at Stamford Bridge, with the previous six matches in London finishing Under 2.5, whilst there have been just two goals in the last three matches at Chelsea, one for each side in narrow 1-0 victories for each.

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Draw – 12/5 SkyBet

 

It’s hard to split the two in all fairness. We will put Chelsea’s recent performance away at Wigan down to a blip, and, while Liverpool have been in sublime form of late, scoring nine goals in two games, this fixture is generally cursed as neither side ever wants to gamble because the risk of losing is too high. We will be crossing our fingers and hoping this is an enthralling affair but we’re aren’t convinced. Another low scoring draw looks a smart punt, unfortunately.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

 

Chelsea – 6/5 Bet365

 

Liverpool – 13/5 BlueSquare

 

Draw – 12/5 SkyBet

 

 

 

SoccerBetting Tip: DRAW (Match Outcome) – 12/5 SkyBet