Date: Sunday 4th
May 2025
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 16:30 BST
This afternoon’s game sees us play host to Liverpool fresh
off the back of them winning their 20th title. Thankfully they
battered Sp*rs last time out to win it, so at least we don’t have to suffer it
coming against us.
We dug in for a win against Fulham last time out in the
Premier League and managed another win in Europe on Thursday night but our
remaining Premier League fixtures don’t offer up a lot of hope for our finish
to this campaign.
This is Chelsea’s seventh Premier League game
against a side crowned champions, and we’ve won just one of the six previous.
Liverpool have been head and shoulders above everyone else, in what has been a
pretty poor Premier League season, and I don’t see them letting up today
either.
It’ll be a toss up what will be most painful this afternoon –
the guard of honour or the scoreline
MANAGER’S VIEWS
Going into
today’s game, Enzo Maresca says “I don’t think we need that to understand
how good it is to win the Premier League. We know that it’s something very
nice. But for sure when you are there, probably in their mind [the players] are
thinking: ‘I would like one day to be there.’ If you want to close the gap with
this kind of club, for sure [you need experience].
Our
team next season will be better in terms of experience, because this year has
been one more year together. For sure the ones that are growing like Levi
[Colwill] for instance, growing a lot in terms of leadership, next year will be
better and better. Hopefully the ones that we have, they can grow and can help
us in terms of experience.
In
terms of the gap (between Chelsea and Liverpool), it is there, you can see this
clearly. My feeling is we are (moving) in the right direction and hopefully
this gap can be smaller and smaller and smaller. The difference is they have
been consistent compared to us. For part of the season, we were very good, then
we lost some games. This has probably been the main reason why. And also in
terms of experienced players that know how to win games and these kinds of
things, I think they have something more compared to us.”
Liverpool
manager, Arne Slot, meanwhile, says “It’s nice that we play some very strong
teams with Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and [Crystal] Palace, so that gives
immediately the challenge to those games. It’s the end of the season but we
also have to look at this as the start of next season already.
It’s
Chelsea away first. We played them earlier on in the season and I’m completely
surprised, not shocked but surprised, if I look at the gap we have with them at
the moment, because at that moment in time they were the better team on the
pitch. But we found a way to win and that is a quality that we didn’t need a
lot because mostly we were the better team on the pitch. But in the game we had
to suffer more than any other game maybe. So to be so many points ahead of them
is a big compliment for everyone here at this club.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Chelsea, Marc Guiu (hamstring), Omari Kellyman
(hamstring) and Wesley Fofana (hamstring) are injured, and are joined by Malo
Gusto (muscular). Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended) also remains out.
For Liverpool, Joe Gomez (hamstring)
looks to be their only absentee and they’ll likely field the same juggernaut
that’s swept everything away in its path this season.
TEAMS
CHELSEA
(Possible line-up): Sanchez;
James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Enzo, Caicedo; George, Palmer, Neto;
Jackson
LIVERPOOL (Possible
line-up): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk,
Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Elliott, Gakpo; Diaz
LAST SEASON
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool (13th
August 2023)
CURRENT FORM (PL)
CHELSEA: LWDDWW
LIVERPOOL: WWLWWW
OTHER STUFF
- Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 league and cup games against Chelsea.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in five Premier League games.
- Chelsea have won five of their previous seven home games in all
competitions, keeping a clean sheet in each victory.
- Chelsea have earned 17 points from their last eight league matches.
- Liverpool have won three successive league games.
- Liverpool have lost two of their past three visits to London.
- Liverpool have failed to score only once in 34 Premier League games
this season.
PREDICTION
Sportsmole: Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
