Headlining the return of Premier League football following the international break, Liverpool and Chelsea collide in a clash of the titans at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds lead the way at the summit of the standings thanks to their 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace before the hiatus, while the Blues were stunted in a 1-1 draw versus Nottingham Forest.
Match preview
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Records have been tumbling at the feet of Liverpool head coach Arne Slot since the Dutchman stepped into Jurgen Klopp's enormous shoes, and the former Feyenoord boss oversaw his eighth win from nine matches in charge at Selhurst Park two weekends ago.
An early Diogo Jota strike was the difference on that occasion, but the result was partially overshadowed by another serious injury to long-serving goalkeeper Alisson Becker, as 23-year-old debutant Vitezslav Jaros saw out the slender victory in between the posts.
While that success ensured that the Reds would be sitting pretty at the top of the standings for a fortnight, they could be bumped down to second on Saturday if Arsenal overcome Bournemouth, and Manchester City defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers at 2pm on Sunday would demote them to the bronze medal position before kickoff.
Slot and co will not be concerning themselves with such hypotheticals as Liverpool chase a seventh win on the bounce in all tournaments, though, and the Reds' defensive foundations remain as solid as ever, with just two goals shipped in the current Premier League campaign.
Furthermore, Liverpool's seven top-flight outings so far this term have seen the Merseyside powerhouses give up a mere 5.2 Expected Goals (xG), but the Reds' defensive mettle will be tested to the extreme by their goal-happy visitors on Sunday.
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After Slot became just the fourth manager in Premier League history to win each of their first four away games in the competition, his opposite number Enzo Maresca can become the fifth member of that exclusive club by halting Liverpool's momentum this weekend.
The Blues could have been forgiven for asking Nottingham Forest - Liverpool's only conquerors this season - for tips on how to best Slot's side a fortnight ago, but their enthralling encounter with the Tricky Trees instead descended into chaos across 105 unmissable minutes at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Chris Wood and Noni Madueke saw the spoils split as Chelsea's five-game winning run came to an end, but the day no doubt belonged to the men in the gloves, as Robert Sanchez and Matz Sels - the last line of defence for a 10-man Forest side - made a string of wonderful stops to preserve a point for their teams.
Even a win for Chelsea would not have improved their fourth-placed standing in the Premier League table, but the Blues arrive on Merseyside with the second-best attacking record in the division; their 16 goals scored is only inferior to Manchester City's 17.
The visitors - who also saw Maresca and Cole Palmer complete a Manager and Player of the Month double for September - could now win each of their first four away games of a top-flight season for the first time since 2008-09, but a nine-game winless run versus Liverpool, who have not lost to the Blues since March 2021, does not stand them in good stead.
Team News
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Liverpool's worst Alisson fears were confirmed immediately after his Crystal Palace withdrawal, and the Brazilian is now set to be sidelined until after the November international break; Caoimhin Kelleher will deputise after missing the Selhurst Park success through illness.
Alisson joins foot fracture victim Harvey Elliott on the Liverpool sidelines, and there has been no update on the condition of Federico Chiesa, but the former Juventus man would have never started over Mohamed Salah following the Egyptian's early return from international duty.
Slot also admitted in his press conference that the Reds were dealing with "some issues" from the international break, so it would not be a shock to see some of the South American contingent rested from the first whistle; Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo can deputise for Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz respectively.
While James Ward-Prowse's comical red card stole the disciplinary headlines in Chelsea's clash with Forest, the Blues incurred two suspensions of their own; Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella both picked up their fifth yellow cards of the campaign and will miss the Anfield battle.
Cucurella's absence opens the door for Renato Veiga to take on the unenviable task of keeping Salah quiet, while Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo will scrap it out to replace Fofana in the heart of the backline.
In brighter news, perpetual injury victim Reece James is back in training after hurting his hamstring in pre-season and has been passed fit for this one, and Danish goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is seemingly fine despite a scare over the international break.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Jota
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Veiga; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
We say: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
Sunday's mouthwatering match should no doubt live up to the pre-game billing, as the unstoppable attacking force of Chelsea meets the immovable defensive object of Liverpool, who arguably come into the clash as marginal favourites.
The suspensions of Fofana and Cucurella - two cornerstones of the Chelsea backline - may just tip the scales in the Reds' favour, especially with a well-rested Salah and Virgil van Dijk in the ranks, as Slot's side continue to sit pretty on their Premier League throne.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
