This is the second time this season that the two old foes will lock horns at Anfield. The occasion being the first leg of the much awaited Capital One Cup Semi-final . This would be a record 15th semi final appearance for Liverpool in the competition. This is set to be a mouth watering tie as Liverpool have looked much better over the course of past few games whereas Chelsea have been demolishing teams with their prolific goal scoring courtesy and stout defending.
Team news:
Liverpool are expected to go in with an unchanged side which played at Villa Park. The assumption is backed by the fact that Gerrard is carrying a niggle and Lallana is just fresh from injury. The question also remains whether Brendan Rodger’s would actually alter a winning eleven at such short notice. Having declined the offer for an early return for loanee Divock Origi, it seems that the Reds manager has faith in his resources upfront. With Daniel Sturridge still recovering , Fabio Borini might get another chance to impress the manager and strengthen his case for a place in the starting eleven.
Liverpool XI(3-4-3): Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Sakho, Markovic, Lucas, Henderson, Moreno, Coutinho, Sterling, Borini.
Chelsea are a completely transformed unit this season and have bolstered their attack with new recruits in the form of Fabregas and Costa. Previous season due to dearth of striking options upfront, Chelsea struggled to keep themselves alive in the Premier League race but it is a completely different story this time as they are already 5 points clear at the top. Jose Mourinho is likely to stick to what has worked for him so well this season i.e to say that Chelsea will go in with a 4-2-3-1. With Azpiculeta nursing a groin problem, it paves way for Filipe Luiz. Cech might be seen in goal for Chelsea as their cup goal keeper. Rest of the Blues squad should go unchanged from their previous outing at the Liberty Stadium. Zouma and Mikel may not feature as Chelsea might field their strongest eleven to face the Reds.
Chelsea XI: Cech, Filipe Luis ,Cahill ,Terry, Ivanovic, Fabregas, Matic, Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Costa.
Manager Quotes:
Ahead of this crucial tie the headlines have been made by Jose Mourinho once again. The Chelsea manager heaped praise on Steven Gerrard and also spoke of how he had tried to sign him back in 2005. “We did everything to try [to sign him] and it was almost there.”
“I was dreaming of Claude Makelele, Gerrard and Frank Lampard in midfield.”
Mourinho continued: “We were playing in a proper triangle without a number 10 and playing Maka in front of the defenders. Me, Mr Abramovich and Peter Kenyon at that time, we dreamed of that.”
“His people were open to him joining a top side like Chelsea. But to me personally he never said he would come. Never.”
Meanwhile speaking ahead of the game Brendan Rodger’s has spoken of the need for Liverpool to keep themselves alive when they go for the second leg at the Bridge. He said, “We know it is going to be a challenge but we know if you want to win the competition you have to beat the best teams and at this moment in time Chelsea are the best in the country.”
“It is a different type of game, you don’t want to open up too much, but the tie is not won or lost in that first game so it is important we retain our confidence”, he said.
“You will have to deal with pressure at moments in the game but the most important thing coming out of this game is to make sure you are in a good position going into the second leg.But if we don’t win the game at Anfield it is not all lost, we can still go to Stamford Bridge and win that’s for sure”, he stated.
Player Battles:
Diego Costa vs Martin Skrtel
The last time these two best friends met, there were sparks flying on the pitch with both going at it hammer and tongs. It was a physically intense battle between the two which Costa won comprehensively by having 5 shots on goal and creating more shooting opportunities than any other player.
Jordan Henderson vs Nemanja Matic
The previous meeting between these two sides saw Matic dominating the midfield .The Serbian made more tackles than any other player on the pitch and also made three times as many interceptions as any of his team-mates.While Henderson had the worst passing accuracy of any Liverpool player and failed to create a single chance and fired two shots off-target.
Stats:
- Liverpool have never lost a League Cup Semi-Final at home – won 8 and drawn 6 of 14 games played at Anfield – and have never failed to score.
- The teams have met 5 times previously in the League Cup with Liverpool winning 3 and Chelsea 2.
- Chelsea have won their last 2 visits to Anfield. They have never won 3 in a row in their history.
Prediction:
Considering the rather defensive words of Brendan Rodgers and the prolific scoring run of Chelsea it should be believed that Liverpool will be caustiously attacking, not being overtly adventurous and not allowing too many open spaces for Chelsea to exploit. Considering Chelsea’s form and Liverpool’s impressive run over the past few games it is likely that the game would end in a 1-1 draw with all to play for at Stamford Bridge.
Image courtesy : wardoon, Independent, mirror