Both Chelsea and Liverpool will be eager to bounce back from weekend defeats, with the former losing to Aston Villa in Potter's last match, and the latter suffering a 4-1 defeat away at Manchester City.
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The Premier League is entering it’s last phase as the two powerhouses Chelsea and Liverpool face each other in the Stamford Bridge. Both teams had terrible weekends in their previous Premier League matches. Starting with the home team, Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday dropped them into the lower half of the table and resulted in the departure of Graham Potter, who had been in charge for just over six months. Bruno Saltor will take over temporarily and will need to boost Chelsea’s morale to move them up the table.
Additionally, Chelsea has a poor record against Liverpool in recent head-to-head matches, winning only twice in the last 16 Premier League meetings and being winless in their last four home league matches. Liverpool also had a miserable Saturday, losing 4-1 to Manchester City, which was their third consecutive loss in all competitions. They are now eighth in the table, and it appears that their hopes of ending the season in the top four has dwindled due to a difficult 2023.
Liverpool has already lost five of their 11 league games this year, which is more than they lost in all of 2022, and they are now solely focused on the possibility of Europa League football. Since Klopp’s debut season in 2015-16, Liverpool has never finished outside the top four, but this appears to be a realistic possibility in 2023.
Despite Chelsea’s inconsistent form in the current 2022-23 season, Kai Havertz has been a standout player with impressive attacking skills. He has scored seven goals and provided one assist in 27 appearances so far, making him Chelsea’s leading scorer in the league with five goals. Havertz’s ability to position himself in the attack and move around in the penalty box makes him a difficult player to track. In the upcoming match, Van Dijk will have a tough challenge to keep Havertz under control. Nonetheless, Van Dijk is known for his exceptional defensive skills, and it will be fascinating to see whether he can contain Havertz in this encounter.
Despite his team’s inconsistent form this season, Mohamed Salah is undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s best wingers. He has scored twelve goals and provided seven assists in 27 Premier League appearances so far. What sets Salah apart is his ability to take on defenders and score goals on his own by manoeuvring into the opposition’s penalty box. With his exceptional speed, it’s difficult to keep an eye on his movement on the flank as he can easily outrun defenders. To keep Salah in check during their upcoming match, Marc Cucurella will need to avoid overlapping too much and focus on containing Salah’s runs. While Cucurella has decent defensive skills, it will be intriguing to see if he can successfully contain Salah in this match.
Since joining Chelsea in the winter transfer window, Joao Felix has arguably been their best player. He is a smart player with excellent attacking skills, having scored two goals in his eight Premier League appearances this season. What sets him apart is his exceptional vision and ability to pick out his teammates in the attack. Keeping track of his movement around the opposition’s penalty box is a difficult task, and Fabinho will need to be defensively strong if he wants to stop him in the upcoming match. Fabinho is known for his defensive awareness and ability to stabilize the midfield, making it intriguing to see if he can successfully silence Felix in this encounter.
