Chelsea meet Liverpool at Stamford Bridge this Sunday in the Premier League season's first blockbuster clash.
Both teams won their opening games last weekend, albeit slightly uneasily. Chelsea rode their luck at times against Brighton, but ultimately their superior class made the difference. Manager Frank Lampard praised his side's resilience, but he cannot have been happy to see Kepa Arrizabalaga make another mistake in goal.
While Leeds won plenty of plaudits for their performance at Anfield, Liverpool should arguably have won by a bigger margin than 4-3, given their superior number of chances created. Mohamed Salah won the game for the Reds with a composed hat-trick but defensive frailties were evident. Liverpool cannot afford to leave spaces for the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner to exploit.
Where to Watch on TV
When Is Kick Off? Sunday 20 September
What Time Is Kick Off? 16:30 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Stamford Bridge
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Premier League (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee? Paul Tierney
Team News
New Chelsea signings Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva are back in training, but this is likely a match too soon for the pair. Lampard may stick with a similar combination that saw off Brighton on Monday, giving Werner the chance to build upon his promising debut.
Reece James, who scored a spectacular goal against the Seagulls, will look to keep his place at right back.
Jurgen Klopp has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Sunday's match at Stamford Bridge, with only Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out long-term. Liverpool's starting lineup is normally set in stone, so expect few surprises for such a big match.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma; James, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Havertz, Mount; Werner.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Mane, Firmino.
Recent Form
Chelsea will be looking to build upon their slightly fortuitous win at Brighton on Monday night. Second best for over an hour, it was only after the third goal that Chelsea relaxed and began to dominate their opponents. It will be unlikely that Liverpool will afford Chelsea such a let-off this weekend.
Liverpool had Salah to thank for seeing off newly-promoted Leeds last Saturday. Despite this, the Yorkshire side managed to stretch Liverpool defensively in a manner few teams have managed over the past few seasons. If Chelsea have done their homework, similar mistakes can be bought out of Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk.
Here are each team's last five competitive results:
Chelsea
Brighton 1-3 Chelsea (14/9)
Bayern Munich 4-1 Chelsea (8/8)
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (1/8)
Chelsea 2-0 Wolves (26/7)
Liverpool 5-3 Chelsea (22/7)
Liverpool
Liverpool 4-3 Leeds (12/9)
Newcastle 1-3 Liverpool (26/7)
Liverpool 5-3 Chelsea (22/7)
Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool (15/7)
Liverpool 1-1 Burnley (11/7)
Prediction
It feels too early in the season for two talented teams to be facing each other.
Inevitably, both feel slightly undercooked. While Chelsea spent over £200m on new players this summer, it will take time for them to gel into a cohesive unit. With each dropped point proving crucial throughout recent seasons, Lampard will know that defeat here will dent Chelsea's title ambitions already.
Liverpool have conquered all comers over recent years, but whispers are starting to develop that this team could use freshening up. The signing of Thiago will help no end, but questions over the current lineup's durability are legitimate.
This game promises to be close. It will be more interesting for the league as a whole if Liverpool dropped points on Sunday, but back the more settled Reds to come away with victory.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool
Source: 90min
