Friday, October 2, 2009

Chelsea v Liverpool

Chelsea    v    Liverpool

    Barclays Premier League
    Venue: Stamford Bridge Date: Sunday, 4 October 2009 Kick-off: 1600 BST
    Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8 FM, live on Sky Sports 1 & highlights on Match of the Day 2

    TEAM NEWS

    Hilario or Ross Turnbull will start in goal for Chelsea in place of the suspended Petr Cech.

    Michael Ballack has recovered from the calf problem which kept him out of last weekend's defeat at Wigan.

    Javier Mascherano is expected to return from a hamstring problem, having missed the Champions League defeat to Fiorentina on Wednesday.

    Daniel Agger made his comeback from back surgery with a reserve-team outing last week and could make the bench.

    Chelsea

    Suspended: Cech (1 match) Doubtful: Sturridge (calf)

    Injured: Alex (groin), Mikel (ankle)

    Liverpool

    Suspended: None Doubtful: Agger (back), Mascherano (hamstring)

    Injured: Aquilani (ankle), Dossena (groin)

    MATCH PREVIEW

    This is where it started to go wrong for Chelsea last season. They were unbeaten in all competitions when Liverpool visited in October 2008, with Luiz Felipe Scolari being praised as a master tactician. Liverpool won to end Chelsea's 86-game unbeaten home run, and three months later Scolari was gone.

    Ancelotti looking for improvement

    The 25th meeting of these clubs in five years is the first for Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti. He has, of course, locked tactics boards with Rafa Benitez's Liverpool twice before, with AC Milan winning the 2007 Champions League final two years after letting slip a 3-0 lead and paying the penalty in a shootout.

    There always seems to be a score to settle in this fixture. The previous encounter ended with Chelsea knocking Liverpool out of the Champions League after an electrifying eight-goal game at Stamford Bridge.

    Benitez looks forward to Ancelotti rematch

    Their respective Champions League performances in midweek were far less impressive. Chelsea won but were rotten at Apoel, and Liverpool's renaissance foundered in Florence.

    While Ancelotti was unhappy with the performance, Benitez was the angriest that Fabio Aurelio had ever seen the Spaniard in seven seasons under him. Benitez has promised it will be "a totally different Liverpool" at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will hope for a different story to this fixture last season.

    MATCH FACTS

    Head-to-head

    • This is the 25th meeting of these two clubs in five years. During that time, Chelsea lead Liverpool by ten wins to seven, with seven draws.

    • Liverpool beat Chelsea home and away in the league last season for the first time since they last won the title, in 1989-90.

    606: DEBATE
    Have your say on the match

    • Liverpool are unbeaten in five league matches against Chelsea since a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in April 2007.

    • Chelsea have not scored in their last three league games against Liverpool. In total, they have not scored in four hours and 58 minutes since Frank Lampard's penalty in their 1-1 draw at Anfield in August 2007.

    Chelsea

    • Chelsea are trying to avoid suffering back-to-back league defeats for the first time since May 2006.

    • They have the best second-half record in the Premier League this season, outscoring the opposition six times out of their seven.

    • Didier Drogba has scored in each of the last three league matches. He has never scored in four consecutive Premier League games.

    • Frank Lampard has gone eight games without a goal, but has scored four times in Chelsea's last five home games against Liverpool in all competitions.

    Liverpool

    • Liverpool's 22 goal-haul in their opening seven league games is their highest since 1895.

    • They have won the last 14 league matches in which they opened the scoring since a 1-1 draw at Wigan on 28 January.

    • Liverpool have scored 64 goals in 25 league games in 2009, more than any other side.

    • Fernando Torres has scored five goals in six matches against Chelsea in all competitions.

    LEADING GOALSCORERS

    Didier Drogba

    Chelsea

    Drogba: 6 goals (6 league); Anelka 4 goals (2 league)

    Fernando Torres

    Liverpool

    Torres: 8 goals (8 league); Kuyt: 4 goals (3 league)

    MATCH OFFICIALS

    Referee: Martin Atkinson

    Assistant referees: David Richardson & Phil Sharp

    Fourth official: Simon Bennett

    LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS

    Chelsea (L1-3 v Wigan, a): Cech; Bosingwa (Kalou 68), Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, Essien, Mikel (Belletti 46), Malouda (Hilario 52), Lampard, Drogba, Anelka. Subs not used: Ivanovic, Zhirkov, Ferreira, Borini.

    Liverpool (W6-1 v Hull, h): Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Insua, Lucas, Gerrard (Mascherano 74), Benayoun (Voronin 77), Kuyt, Riera, Torres (Babel 67). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Ngog.

    MOST RECENT MEETING

    Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool (14 April 2009)

    Chelsea scorers: Drogba 52, Alex 57, Lampard 76, 89.

    Liverpool scorers: Aurelio 19, Alonso 28 pen, Lucas 81, Kuyt 82.

    о 2:38 AM

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