Chelsea's last game against Liverpool, came at a time which seems so different from the Chelsea we know at the moment. Roberto Di Matteo was in charge, John Terry was a starter at the back, Frank Lampard was arguably the manager's favorite and Fernando Torres had his horrendous golden locks. However, a lot has changed since then. Rafa Benitez, Chelsea enemy number one, is now in charge, John Terry's fitness levels aren't up to standards (well, according to Rafa that is, but his two goals mid-week to Fulham could earn him a start today), Lampard seem's to be off this summer, and Fernando Torres has turned into Zorro.
This fixture is very important for both teams involved. A Chelsea win would put us as hot-favorites to secure a top 4 finish, with an important 3-0 victory over west-London rivals Fulham midweek. A Liverpool win would help them get into a Europa League spot, as hope of a top four finish looks to be hanging by a thread.
Stewart Downing has finally found some form since his move from Aston Villa, but will be in contention with Jordan Henderson for a start on the flank, with the centre midfield trio likely to be Steven Gerrard, Phillipe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva. Raheem Sterling is still ruled out through injury. It will be interesting to see whether ex-Chelsea boy, Daniel Sturridge, will start for the reds today after returning from injury last week. Sturridge, as we all know, can play out wide for Liverpool, but will get a bit stroppy if he isn't starting in the number 9 role. Brendan Rodgers says 'Daniel's best position is a central striker', but whether he will start there ahead of Luis Suarez is the question. Brendan Rodgers could, and is open to, playing a narrow 4-3-3 with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge rotating from the wing to the centre of attack. If he does play the 4-3-3 narrowly, Chelsea will need to keep an eye on fullbacks Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique bombing up the flanks to get behind our defenders. One player Chelsea will need to look out for is January signing, Phillipe Coutinho. Coutinho has been a great singing for Liverpool, and they haven't had many in recent seasons. The Brazilian has scored twice and has made three assists, in a total of eight premier league games so far. It is quite surprising that he hasn't been raved about, well not quite yet. However, Luis Suarez is definitely the name to look out for in this Liverpool side. 22 goals in 32 games speak's for itself really, and he is just an all round pain for any defender facing him. However, Suarez hasn't scored in his past four games - but all can change today.
Chelsea come into this fixture after beating west-London rivals Fulham 3-0 in midweek, with an impressive display all round. Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole and Marko Marin have all returned to training this week, and are fit enough to play against Liverpool. I would expect the attacking midfield trio of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar to start this one. Between the three of them, they have provided 39 goals and 57 assists, a deadly combination. The question that Rafa must be thinking about is who to start up front. Rafa likes his rotating policy, and with Fernando Torres playing the full 90 minutes against Fulham, Demba Ba is the favorite to start alone up top. Torres has seemed to be playing a bit better in recent weeks, and a goal at Anfield would do wonders for his confidence, but saying that, starting the Spaniard could go wrong, and he could bottle it like other times he has played against his former team. I would be open, however, to playing both Demba Ba and Fernando Torres up front. When the two were on the field together against Manchester City last weekend in the cup, Chelsea looked a much stronger side going forward.
A win for Chelsea would be massive today, but Liverpool want to win this game just as much, so we are in for a hard-fought fixture all over the pitch. Liverpool like to play quite high up the pitch, which will put pressure on the defensive midfielders, who I am guessing will be John Obi Mikel and Ramires. Suarez will be all over the place too, so I would personally play Mikel paired with David Luiz in midfield, with Ivanovic and Terry the defensive pairing.
Either way, we are in for a nail-biting fixture, let's just hope we don't cock up! Come on the Chels!
