What: English Premier League
Who: Liverpool vs Chelsea
Where: Sunday 27th April, 2014, at 14:05 UK Time
When: Anfield, Liverpool, England
Crunch Time For Reds
Liverpool and Chelsea square off at Anfield on Sunday in the Premier League’s latest match of the season. Two weeks ago, the focus was on the battle between Brendan Rodgers’ side and Manchester City at the same ground, which saw the Reds come out victorious and become favourites for the league title. Now another massive victory against title rivals Chelsea would see Liverpool take a giant step toward their first league success since 1990.
Liverpool’s title assault has been built on the back of amazing home form this season which has seen them lose only once at Anfield, back in September against Southampton. After two narrow defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea at during the holiday fixtures, 2014 has been downright amazing for Rodgers’ men. Liverpool have won fourteen of their sixteen Premier League matches in the calendar year thus far, going undefeated in the process. The dream of winning the league has come about thanks to eleven victories on the trot heading into this match.
Daniel Sturridge looks set to return to at least the bench after recent injury and Rodgers will be able to select from a full squad barring the long-injured Jose Enrique. The atmosphere in and around Anfield has been something special in recent weeks and the feeling is that it is now or never for the club. Everything seems to be falling into place in order for Liverpool to claim the unlikeliest of title triumphs. It would be one of the great turnarounds of the Premier League era if last season’s seventh-place finishers can win the championship in the very next season.
Champions League Distraction?
Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat versus Sunderland at Stamford Bridge hurt Chelsea mightily. It was not merely the fact that Jose Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten home league record was snapped, but more importantly it meant that the Blues no longer controlled their own destiny with regard to their title chances. Not only must Chelsea win on Sunday to stay in the race, but they need Liverpool and Manchester City to drop more points in the final two matches of the season.
It is perhaps because of this long-shot to claim Premier League glory that Mourinho indicated this week that he may indeed be forced to field a weakened team. The reasoning behind his words was that a spate of injuries and a short turnaround for Chelsea’s second leg Champions League semi-final clash with Atletico Madrid mean that some Chelsea stars will need rest for the clash with the Spanish side in midweek. It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will have to field “kids” as he said he might or whether it is another case of the Portuguese boss deflecting the focus onto himself and away from his team.
In truth, Chelsea may not field their preferred starting eleven at Anfield, but in all likelihood the team should still be quite strong. The cup-tied duo of Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are certain to get the nod, while midfielders Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel should also start as they will be suspended for the second leg against Atletico Madrid. Add to this certainties such as Gary Cahill, who will feature especially since John Terry is out through injury, and Mark Schwarzer who will take his place in goal for the injured Petr Cech, and the Chelsea line-up looks anything but weak.
Some may criticise Mourinho for prioritising one competition over the other, however the Chelsea manager does have a pragmatic streak and he may believe the Champions League represents the club’s last realistic chance for a trophy this season. All in all it should be an intriguing afternoon at Anfield, beginning from the time when the starting line-ups are revealed.
Recent form
Liverpool:
West Ham 1-2 Liverpool (06/04; Premier League)
Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City (13/04; Premier League)
Norwich 2-3 Liverpool (20/04; Premier League)
Chelsea:
Swansea 0-1 Chelsea (13/04; Premier League)
Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland (19/04; Premier League)
Atletico Madrid 0-0 Chelsea (22/04; Champions League)
Key absences
Liverpool: Daniel Sturridge (doubt); Jose Enrique
Chelsea: Petr Cech; John Terry; Ramires (suspended); Samuel Eto’o
Players to watch
Liverpool – Raheem Sterling: The England international is the odds-on favourite to be named Premier League Young Player of the Year. Sterling’s performances in the final weeks of the season have been nothing short of sensational. While his greatest weapon may be his pace, it is Sterling’s maturity which has impressed most observers during Liverpool’s title charge. While the partnership of Luis Suarez and Sturridge may have received the bulk of the headlines over the course of the campaign, Sterling’s contributions in the last month have been vital to Liverpool’s breathtaking league form.
Chelsea – Mark Schwarzer: The 41-year-old stepped into the shoes of the injured Cech this past week in Madrid and kept a clean sheet against Atletico Madrid during the first leg Champions League semi-final. His assured performance was an improvement on his display last weekend against Sunderland when he was guilty of giving up a soft rebound which led to the visitors’ opener. With Cech ruled out for the remainder of the season, the experienced Australian will be counted on to deliver for Chelsea down the stretch.
Match Prediction
Liverpool only have a few matches to negotiate in order to celebrate a league title that has eluded them since 1990. The Reds are in fantastic position knowing that seven points from their final three matches will ensure they are champions. This Sunday’s match against Chelsea will be arguably their toughest test yet. It could play into Liverpool’s hands that Mourinho’s men will have one eye on their Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid next week. In order to win the Premier League, Chelsea need lots of help. They need to beat Liverpool at the weekend and have the Reds and also Manchester City drop points in another match. The scenario seems a bit far-fetched at this late stage and while they won’t certainly give up the fight, expect Liverpool to take advantage of Chelsea’s attention being diverted to making it to another Champions League final. Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea.
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