Chelsea and Liverpool may have faced off in the Carabao Cup in midweek, but that game can only be considered as light sparring when compared to the main event which will take place at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
It is the first real heavyweight clash of the Premier League season as Maurizio Sarri’s men play host to a Liverpool side who make the trip to West London as the only team still to have a perfect league record.
A record that Chelsea lost after a frustrating draw away at West Ham last Sunday, whether the result was due to a jaded set of players after their Europa League exploits or because of a resurgent opposition in the form of the Hammers is something can be argued.
In fairness it is probably something that lies somewhere in the middle of the two possible reasons, one thing that is certain though is the fact that Chelsea go into this game two points behind their early title rivals.
Liverpool completed the perfect half dozen last weekend with a routine win over Southampton, one that saw them take a first half 3-0 lead with relative ease. That was thanks to the impressive contribution of Swiss international Xhedran Shaqiri.
Therefore, it came as a huge surprise that the former Stoke player was hooked off at the interval, it is a scenario that you could have had anticipated if the Reds were just a goal up going into the second half and needed to shut up shop.
But with them being three goals to the good it was an almost nonsensical decision by Jurgen Klopp to make the change that he did. It was arguably the game that would have offered Shaqiri the ideal opportunity to get minutes under his belt.
Minutes that he is unlikely to get at Stamford Bridge as both clubs will be looking to play their very best eleven’s possible. Not only that but the two sides have been relatively settled in terms of personnel changes.
Chelsea have only made six changes to their starting lineups, while Liverpool have made one fewer with five. For the hosts the question is whether Antonio Rudiger will be fit to start after limping off in the draw against West Ham.
While for Liverpool, it will be who will get the nod in the middle of the park. Naby Keita’s arrival has undoubtedly been good news for the club, but perhaps not the same can be said for Jordan Henderson who is stuck in rotation with the addition from RB Leipzig.
Chelsea are looking to bounce back after their small stutter last Sunday and with a home crowd behind them will be hoping that they can burst the bubble that this high-flying Liverpool side are currently in.
At the same time though there’s no reason why Liverpool cannot make it seven straight Premier League wins, especially with the way that they have got out of the blocks this season. It’s going to be a tough call as these fixtures always are and It’s one that could well see a share of the points.