Sunday afternoon will see Chelsea take the field at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool in a desperate bid to recover from last weekend’s loss. This will be excellent game with only 3 points separating the two teams. Chelsea is currently in 2nd place and Liverpool 3rd in the 2009/10 Barclays Premier League season.
Chelsea
The Chelsea side is a very formidable opponent no matter where they play and have only taken the 1 loss so far in the 2009/10 Premier League season. Apart from a draw in a pre-season friendly, Chelsea had won every match so far this season until the surprise 3-1 loss to Wigan last weekend and they’ll be seeking to overcome this quickly. They also have a great chance to move 6 points clear of a major rival.
Along with Man U, Chelsea is the side to beat and have made an impressive start to their Premier League campaign.
Chelsea is developing a slight problem with injuries and has a few of players on the sidelines. Mikel, Ballack and Alex are all out for this weekend’s clash.
Liverpool
Liverpool has made an impressive return to form after their shaky start to the 2009/10 Premier League season despite losing to Fiorentina on Wednesday. Prior to this they had notched up 6 consecutive wins. The Liverpool side is shaping up a little differently this season with a more attacking mentality. They were able to score 6 times last weekend against Hull City.
Liverpool is quite clearly capable of winning this Sunday and will be keen to level on points with their title rivals.
The injury list at Liverpool shouldn’t affect their game too much with Aquilani on the sidelines with an ankle/foot injury and Mascherano looking doubtful with a virus.
My Opinion
This could quite possibly be the best Premier League match that we’ll see this season with both teams desperate to get the other out of the title race. Although it is still early in the season a loss here will hurt.
I would expect to see a draw, although it has been sometime since Chelsea last lost at Stamford Bridge. The new found attacking style of Liverpool could very well see this turn into a high scoring affair. As a Liverpool supporter I would like to see them win, but I would consider this to be an unlikely result.
My Tip – Draw (Odds of $3.45 at Betfair)
I decide to put a few facts here about the match this Sunday between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool were able to defeat Chelsea in both Premier League matches last season. The 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge became Liverpool’s 600th away victory in the Premier League.
Liverpool is unbeaten in their last five Premier League games against Chelsea. This is their best run in the past 12 years.
The last time Liverpool scored a league double over Chelsea was in the 1989-90 Premier League season. 1990 was also Liverpool’s last Premier League title.
A win for Liverpool will make it the first time since the 1974/75 season that they have won back-to-back games at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool has not had a clean sheet against them for the past 18 Premier League games. The last time they failed to hit the net was in February against Middlesbrough.
These are a few facts that you might want to take into account when placing your bets on this weekend’s Premier League match. And remember that Betfair provides the best Premier League odds.