Saturday, October 31, 2015, 11.45pm AEDT, Stamford Bridge, Australians watch on Fox Sports
Table position
Chelsea: 15th
Liverpool: Ninth
Season record
Chelsea: 3-5-2
Liverpool: 3-2-5
Last five games
Chelsea: WDLWL
Liverpool: DWDDD
WELL, well, well.
Chelsea is an unbelievable five points out of the relegation zone after 10 games of the 2015/16 English Premier League season.
Let that sink in for a minute.
The reigning EPL title winners ($1.95 with WilliamHill.com.au to defeat Liverpool), led by one of the best managers in the world in Jose Mourinho and packing star power the likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Kosta and Cesc Fabregas is currently languishing 11 points back from joint table leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.
It’s a mighty fall from grace for a side that was favourite for the title less than two months ago.
But we fast forward to today and the Blues have a clash with the almost as disappointing Liverpool ($4 with WilliamHill.com.au) (Draw is $3.40).
The Reds have done the same thing for the second year running, since losing their only decent player – old chomper Luis Suarez – topped up on players from lower ranked Premier League sides that aren’t quite as good as they’d hoped.
We’re a bit harsh in saying Suarez was their only good player, but you get the picture.
The likes of Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Christian Benteke and Nathaniel Clyne haven’t really lived up to the hype at the Kop and its showed, with just three wins and only nine goals in 10 games – Manchester City has 24 in the same number indicating the gulf in class and even Chelsea has six more.
It’s been ugly for both sides, but the Reds could be forgiven for going into this one with a bit of confidence.
New manager Jurgen Klopp is just beginning to stamp his influence on the team and, after a pair of draws with the new man in charge, Liverpool has not lost a game since September 12, six weeks ago.
Wins are the aim of the game, though, and four of their last five games have ended in stalemates, with the only win coming against Aston Villa a month ago.
On the weekend, Benteke struck for his new club in the 77th minute and it looked like the Red would take the points against Southampton, but the Saints were up to the task and had Sadio Mane to thank for winning a share of the points and making Klopp’s search for his first win as the club’s new manager last at least another week.
Liverpool was in action in the League Cup this morning against Bournemouth, but their striker crisis may be averted, with both Benteke – who has been battling a knee injury and only played as a sub against the Saints – and Daniel Sturridge a chance to suit up against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, The Special One Mourinho must be on the good stuff, after his bizarre comments following Chelsea’ disastrous dumping from the League Cup at the hands of Stoke.
After winning the Premier League title and the League Cup last season, Mourinho is under the pump, with claims the players have stopped playing for him.
But he has tried to claim that the team of superstars’ effort in the 1-1 draw that ended with Stoke taking it out, 5-4 on penalties, was evidence enough he had the players’ support.
“What the players did tonight is face the people that write and say, ‘you are stupid’,” Mourinho bizarrely said.
“You think the players did not give everything to win the game? That is really sad.
“A few months ago I won a few matches and I was champion.
“People were saying there are things more important than results.
“Now, people say results are the most important thing.
“It’s a contradiction.”
His Blues side had 59% possession and 24 attempts at goal – nine of those were on target, compared to Stoke’s five. They also won 11 corners to Stoke’s two.
The Cup dumping followed another loss in the big leagues, this time at the hands of West Ham, 2-1.
The Hammers took a 1-0 half time lead thanks to Mauro Zarate, but Gary Cahill provided the equaliser for the Blues 11 minutes after the break.
Down to 10 men after Nemanja Matic was sent off for a second yellow card, the Blues could not hold on, towering striker Andy Carroll coming off the bench for the Hammers and sending home the winner.
It was Chelsea’s fifth loss of the season – more than it had dropped all of last campaign.
Striker Costa was injured in the match against Stoke and is in doubt for the Liverpool clash.
That evoked more bizarre stuff out of Mourinho.
“He is in hospital – but I don’t know what the situation is,” Mourinho said.
“Is he a doubt to face Liverpool? I don’t know.
”How did the injury happen? I think he punched himself.“
Punched himself? Is he serious.
Anyway, with number one goal keeper Thibaut Courtois out until December, Branislav Ivanovic is not expected to recover from a hamstring injury in time for this match, while Loic Remy, and Pedro, who both missed against the Hammers, could be in line for selection.
Possible line ups
Chelsea: Asmir Begovic, Kurt Zouma, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ramires, Nemanja Matic, Willian, Cesc Fábregas, Eden Hazard, Diego Costa
Liverpool: Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno, James Milner, Lucas Leiva, Emre Can, Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho, Christian Benteke
Predictions
Match results: Chelsea wins ($1.95 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Correct score: Chelsea wins 1-0 ($7.50 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Total goals: Under 2.5 ($1.91 with WilliamHill.com.au)
With the way Chelsea has been going, anything is a possibility, but surely they can deal with a Liverpool side that just doesn’t possess enough class in the midfield to generate the scoring opportunities the strikers so desperately crave. Liverpool simply cannot score and we think they will probably sit back and try and make things hard for Chelsea, which, being a Mourinho side, will probably do the same. So it will be a clash of two parked buses – which team can bust through the impenetrable wall?
First goal scorer predictions
Chelsea
Eden Hazard ($7 with sportsbet.com.au)
Isn’t this guy off the boiler? Can you believe he missed that penalty in the League Cup against Stoke, ending Chelsea’s title defence almost before it had begun. Hazard is a rare talent, but something isn’t quite right. Is there a rift between he and Mourinho? Has Fabregas regressed that much that Hazard is the only player defences key in on now? Who knows. One thing we do know is that this poor form can’t continue forever and, given that he will be keen to atone for that dire penalty miss, perhaps this is the game where he puts in a big one. And even if he doesn’t put in a big one, how about the first goal of the match?
Liverpool
Philippe Coutinho ($9 with sportsbet.com.au)
It was only months ago that Coutinho was on a scoring rampage and was the darling of the Kop. Proof, though, how fickle the Liverpool fans can be, they have now turned on the silky skilled Brazilian, calling on new man Klopp to swap Coutinho for Isco. One way the young buck can silence his critics is by getting on the scoreboard. And, against arch rival Chelsea, both punters and Liverpool supporters alike will be hoping he can come up with the first strike.
Suggested multi
West Ham United to defeat Watford at $2.90
Manchester City to defeat Norwich City at $1.26
Newcastle United to defeat Stoke City at $2.46
Everton to defeat Sunderland at $1.47
Four leg multi pays $13.21 with CrownBet.com.au
Here’s a little four legger that can hopefully make you a bit of coin. We’ve gone with a couple of almost certainties in Manchester City on it’s home deck against lowly Norwich City and Everton – despite two losses on the trot against big guns Arsenal and Manchester United – at home to Sunderland, which had surrendered all three points in four of five matches before defeating Newcastle 3-0 last week. We’re going to keep the faith with the Toon, though, echoes of the 6-2 thrashing they meted out on the Canaries a fortnight ago. And we’re unashamed fans of the new look West Ham United, midfield boss Dimitri Payet to help it get the job done against a dour Watford.
