Liverpool vs Chelsea – The ball is not kicked yet but the ‘˜Special One’ has already let the mouth do the talking! In his press conference ahead of the great clash against rivals, Liverpool.
The ball is not kicked yet but the ‘Special One’ has already let the mouth do the talking! In his press conference ahead of the great clash against rivals, Liverpool; Chelsea manager rubbed salt into the wounds of the Merseyside club.
He said, “[The match at Anfield last season] gave the title to Man City. It’s as simple as that. If Liverpool had got a point in that match, they would have been champions. Without it, they lost the title. It meant nothing to us.
That match, for us, meant just professional pride you have to go for every game and try to win, but we were not in the race. It was just a match that gave the title to Man City.”
As Steven Gerrard and company welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Saturday, their team would look to put on a positive response against a Blues side that is unbeaten so far in this campaign.
Manager of Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers is in dire need of positive result to prevent any pressure growing on him as all eyes will be glued on the former as to what players are set on the team sheet as some of the stars were rested at Madrid.
Moreover, Liverpool’s form has been dodgy to go by. Rodgers took a ‘risk’ at the Bernabeu and was willing to take the gamble with the visit of Chelsea in mind. No one could forget that ‘slip’ from Gerrard that killed off the EPL title aspirations for Liverpool as the Reds look to avenge that dreadful day. Last year’s runners-up, Liverpool have six points fewer than at this stage last season and have won just two games from their last seven outings.
More bad news for Liverpool is that star striker, Diego Costa has been declared fit for Chelsea ahead of the big clash whereas Italian Mario Balotelli is yet to open his account in a Liverpool shirt in the EPL. The in-form Blues have lost just one of their last six league and cup games against Liverpool with Rodgers yet to taste victory against his former side.
Team news:
Liverpool – Liverpool leader Steven Gerrard, fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson and forward Raheem Sterling are all expected to be recalled for the visit of league leaders Chelsea. Jose Enrique, Mamadou Sakho, Jon Flanagan and Suso remain sidelined through injuries.
Chelsea – Diego Costa, Oscar, Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois are all set to return to the starting line-up whereas Spanish full-back Cesar Azpilicueta is available again after serving a three-match ban and might replace Filipe Luis at left-back.
