Chelsea hosts Liverpool in round 2 of the English Premier League. The match will be played on Sunday, September 20th at Stamford Bridge (London)
Chelsea's defense is clearly far from ideal, especially given the problems in the goalkeeper position, where Kepa is still in charge. And while this is so, the Blues' rivals will take advantage of this - even Brighton managed to embarrass the Spaniard by surrounding him during corner kicks, and then Trossard scored after a long-range shot. If the Seagulls have found a way to outplay the keeper, then Liverpool must prepare a whole bunch of different attacking tricks. Fortunately, Thiago Silva, Azpilicueta and Chilwell have not reached their optimal condition yet, which halves the level of experience and class of the hosts’ defenders. However, Chelsea scores in almost every match, and the tactical ingenuity of the Londoners’ head coach is one of the reasons for this.
Of course, the Reds are the favorites of the upcoming match. Liverpool has scored at least three times (!) in each of the last three matches in the English Premier League. The team scored itself and allowed its opponents to do it in all seven last official meetings. I would like to note that the Reds consistently scored in all matches in London, and they will not stop in this case either. Moreover, they are eager to make a name for themselves, as they understand that it is extremely difficult to defend the title, and an ambiguous game at the beginning of the season can greatly affect the team mood and the opponents’ perception of Liverpool. Klopp cannot afford to fail in the first rounds, especially when the competition has increased significantly in one offseason. Beyond that, the Reds will have to rehabilitate themselves after a not very confident game against Leeds (a 4:3 home victory over the newcomers of the Premier League). And the method of scoring goals (2 penalties and 2 set pieces) clearly does not suit the perfectionist from Germany.
This is not only a matter of head-to-head meetings but also of the current reality for Chelsea players. Havertz and Werner know very well that they must begin to organize effective actions in order to avoid criticism – both players came for a lot of money, and they pin their hopes on both. Neither one nor the other succeeded the first round, but both tried. And they are clearly capable of scoring this time. The Blues also have Mount, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson Odoi and Barkley, who may use their attempt at any minute. Probably I don’t have to remind you about the attacking potential of the Reds, who became one of the most scoring teams in the last championship. Therefore, we are likely to see interesting offensive football.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes and Over 2.5 goals scored
