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Two struggling teams in the form of Chelsea and Liverpool will try to kickstart their season in this early afternoon clash at Stamford Bridge. However, the main objective for the two managers will be avoiding defeat, as a loss will send either team into an even deeper crisis.
Jose Mourinho is under big pressure ahead of this clash, with reports suggesting he will get sacked if Chelsea lose this one. The Blues are having a horrific season so far, sitting on the 15th place in the Premier League and coming after a penalty loss against Stoke in the League Cup – barely avoiding losing in regular time after a 92nd minute equalizer by Remy. It was the second consecutive loss for Chelsea and the hosts won just once in the previous 7 games in all competitions.
Liverpool finally got its first win under Jurgen Klopp, but the 1-0 home victory over Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup was nothing to shout about. It was the fourth match under Klopp in which Liverpool did not score more than one goal and the 6th overall for ‘Pool. Clearly the German manager, despite having an offensive and reactive football philosophy, has chosen to focus on defense in his first months here at Anfield – after all, as we all know, the foundation for building a great team is putting the defense in order.
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Team news & lineups:
Courtois and Ivanovic are out for Chelsea, while Costa and Pedro are questionable. Liverpool continues to struggle big time with injuries, as they will miss Henderson, Flanagan, Ings, Rossiter, Toure and Gomez, with Sturridge also a doubt.
Chelsea: Begovic – Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Zouma – Matic, Ramires – Willian, Fabregas, Hazard – Costa
Liverpool: Mignolet – Moreno, Skrtel, Sakho, Clyne – Can, Lucas, Milner – Coutinho, Benteke, Lallana
Knowing Mourinho, he will not go all out attack here, especially since a defeat could very well get him fired. The Portugese manager will want to make sure that he won`t leave any open spaces for Liverpool to exploit, especially as the visitors are like a fish in the water when they counterattack. It is expected for him to start Ramires and move Fabregas up front – if this happens, his defensive intentions will be clear as day. As for Liverpool, they are beginning to get specialized in draws, so they will look to make use of that and avoid defeat – a draw would be a positive result for them, that`s for sure.
All of the last three Head 2 Head meetings ended with under 2,5 goals and neither of the last 5 H2H matches saw more than 3 goals. With all these in mind, I reckon the under / over market is the way to go here and my tip is under 2,5 goals. I do not expect fireworks from this match, more like a cagey and tense affair, with both sides desperate not to lose and Chelsea dreaming of a 1-0 win. Prediction: Chelsea – Liverpool 1-0.
Pick: under 2,5 goals
Odds: 1.83 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.64
Event date: 31 October
