@ZAPunter provides his betting tips for the English Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool which takes place on Sunday 22nd September
CHELSEA VS LIVERPOOL, SUNDAY @ 17.30:
Chelsea face another stern test on Sunday as they welcome league leaders Liverpool to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea dominated Wolves last weekend with a 5-2 victory away at Molineux, but then lost at home in the Champions League on Tuesday vs Valencia. Liverpool had a comeback victory against Newcastle United at home, but lost 2-0 in controversial fashion in Naples for their Champions League encounter. This game is by far the match of the weekend as 2 giants meet. Liverpool haven’t won away at Chelsea since 2016 and this will be a game Klopp knows they need to get all 3 points to win the league at the end of the season. Lampard has trusted the younger plays so far, but this will be their biggest test of the season. This is a massive opportunity for both teams, Chelsea wants to establish their top 4 credentials and Liverpool want to remain top of the table.
CHELSEA:
Chelsea has shown a lot of improvement under Frank Lampard after a rocky start to the season. Lampard believes in giving youth the opportunity to express themselves on the big stage and Abraham, Mount and Tomori have been excellent thus far. The Blues have been involved in entertaining games this season, but that means that on the defensive side they have struggled. Hazard was always going to leave a big hole in the Chelsea team and Pulisic will take some time to adjust to the Premier League. Chelsea’s xGf is 1.86 and xGa 1.58, this is even less than their actual goals scored and conceded, but it just shows how open the games have been. Chelsea will be without Mount who picked up a knock on Tuesday and potentially Kante and Rudiger. We might see exciting English winger Hudson-Odoi return to the squad.
LIVERPOOL:
Liverpool has been excellent in the Premier League, boasting a perfect record. They now face their toughest test of the season after a disappointing midweek defeat in the Champions League. The Reds will know that every point is vital for them going into another 2 horse race with Manchester City. The fans want that Premier League title more than anything and Klopp even admitted it that it will be their main focus this season. It’s been a joy to watch the Reds going forward, but they have conceded more goals this season compared to last season. Liverpool’s xGf is 2.09 and xGa 1.14, this shows that they are still potent going forward, but are likely to concede in every game. Origi and Keita will both have late fitness tests, but are not expected to play from the start.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS:
Chelsea: 5-4-1
Kepa,
Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori, Christensen, Alonso,
Willian, Kovacic, Jorginho, Pulisic,
Abraham.
Liverpool: 4-3-3
Adrian,
Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson,
Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain,
Salah, Firmino, Mane.
PREDICTION:
Liverpool is in blistering form this season and with their main focus being the Premier League, they should have too much for Chelsea on Sunday. Chelsea will once again be without key players this weekend and that struggling defence will be facing Firmino and Mane, who may be in their best form ever in a Liverpool shirt. Mount has been vital for the Blues and he will be a big miss on Sunday, especially his ability to link up with Abraham. Zouma has been suspect at the back and always seems to let players run in behind him, Liverpool will without a doubt exploit the Chelsea defence. Chelsea have conceded 2 goals in all but one of their Premier League matches and Liverpool have scored 3+ goals in all but 1 of their games. I think this is a miss match and this is an excellent price for my bet of the weekend. Come on you Redmen!
BETTING:
BEST BET: Liverpool Win – 1.96 @ BetOlimp
Premier League Record: 12-8 (+6.39 U)
Best Bet Record: 5-0 (+7.41 U)
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
@ZAPunter
