English Premier
2011-11-20 - Chelsea vs Liverpool
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 20 November 2011 - Kick Off 4pm
This game is live on TV
Chelsea
Chelsea will be getting back to Premier League duty hoping to erase the memories of their last performance in front of their own fans when they were shelled by Arsenal 3-5. Andre Villa-Boas does not want to move from his philosophy of attacking football, but there could be a need to do so if they continue to give away as many chances as they have been in the early part of the season.
The Blues are in 4th place in the Premier League after the first 11 games of the season were completed, and they find themselves 9 points off the pace set by Manchester City. They have been winning their games, for the most part, at Stamford Bridge, compiling a 4-0-1 record having scored 15 goals but also conceding 9. That makes Chelsea the 2nd top scorers at home in the League so far this season.
Chelsea beat Blackburn Rovers 0-1 in the final game before the international break, their first clean sheet in the League since the opening day of the season. That was also their first victory in 5 games in all competitions as Chelsea had hit a bit of a rough spot in matches leading up to the break. The team had won 6 of 7 games in all competitions at Stamford Bridge before the loss to Arsenal last time out.
It seems like the squad has come back in full health from the international games with only Michael Essien missing as a long-term casualty.
Liverpool
You just can't keep Luis Suarez out of the press at the moment- first the striker bangs in all 4 goals for Uruguay in a World Cup Qualifier, then he is charged by the FA for alleged racist comments made to Patrice Evra. Liverpool will be hoping their striker can put aside the latter of these events and inspire them to get their push for a top 4 berth back underway.
Liverpool may be a little happier that this game is being played away from Anfield where they are struggling to turn draws into wins, including a fortunate 0-0 draw with Swansea last time out. That result saw the Reds slip to 6th place in the Premier League and improved their points tally to 19 for the season. They are 3-0-2 away from home this season, scoring 6 goals and conceding 5.
The team are unbeaten in 8 games in all competitions since a 4-0 thrashing at Tottenham Hotspur, but they come into this game having drawn 3 of their last 4 League games, all at Anfield. Liverpool have won 4 games in a row away from home in all competitions, and they have scored 2 goals in each of those games.
Jamie Carragher is set to return to the squad for this game, although there has been no news as to when Steven Gerrard is due back after they found he has a foot infection.
Head to Head
Liverpool did the double over Chelsea last season, winning both League games without conceding a goal.
The 0-1 win here at Stamford Bridge means they have now lost just 1 of their last 4 games played here in all competitions.
The last 9 League games played between the teams at Stamford Bridge have all seen 2 goals or less being scored, although they have had a 4-4 draw in the Champions League here.
Prediction
This is an intriguing game for viewers on Sunday afternoon as both teams have had their problems in recent games and it will be interesting to see how each manager approaches the match.
Kenny Dalglish has set out his side to be hard to beat in games against Arsenal this season and Chelsea last season, and they do seem to thrive in situations where they are not considered the favourite.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have not been their usual selves defensively as Villa-Boas tries to bring in a more attacking mentality from his players. That has left them a little exposed in games which was cruelly exposed by Arsenal in the last game at Stamford Bridge, but it is perhaps more worrying that West Brom, Norwich and Swansea all also found the back of the net in games here.
With some question marks over both defences, I think there is a chance that we see more than 2 goals in a League meeting between these sides for the first time since 2005 and the first time at Stamford Bridge since 2003.
Liverpool's defence has not been impregnable, while Chelsea have been good to concede at least 1 goal at home all season, so we could see a surprisingly high scoring game once it is all said and done.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.95
