MATCH PREVIEW CHELSEA VS LIVERPOOL - PREDICTED LINEUPS WITH CHANGES AND EXPERT PREDICTIONS

   MATCH PREVIEW CHELSEA VS LIVERPOOL - PREDICTED LINEUPS WITH CHANGES AND EXPERT PREDICTIONS

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says his team will have to beware "world class" striker Diego Costa when they play Chelsea on Friday.

Costa scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Swansea on Sunday, taking his tally to four goals in as many league matches.
German Klopp said: "He is a real warrior on the pitch. He uses his body all the time and that is a quality. He was nearly unstoppable against Swansea.
"He is world class and that's the best thing football fans can say about you."
It was at Stamford Bridge that Klopp enjoyed his first victory as Liverpool manager, beating the Blues 3-1 last October.
But Klopp, who described new Blues boss Antonio Conte as a "great manager", said Chelsea were a different team to the one which struggled under Jose Mourinho last season.

Klopp added: "They've seen us playing and they know we are not easy to play and that is what I thought most about in the last two days and what I will think about because there is always a way to create moments which you are not expecting.
"The problem is they maybe have the same plan.
"They were champions two years ago and then had a difficult year and they changed their manager.
"Last season was not a Chelsea season and now they are back on track, so we need to be ready for a real challenge."
Chelsea, second in the league and unbeaten in the league under Conte, will be without captain John Terry after the defender strained ligaments in his foot against Swansea.
David Luiz, who re-signed for the London club from Paris St-Germain in the summer, could replace the 35-year-old.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Chelsea have only beaten Liverpool twice in the last nine league meetings at Stamford Bridge (W2, D3, L4).
• This is the 175th competitive fixture between the clubs. Liverpool lead by 75 wins to Chelsea's 61, with 38 draws.

Chelsea

• Chelsea could record three successive home wins in the Premier League for the first time since May last year.
• Relegated Aston Villa were the only side to earn fewer home victories than Chelsea's tally of five in 2015-16.
• The Blues have scored at least two goals in each of their opening four league fixtures.
• Diego Costa has already scored four times - it took him until Boxing Day to reach that tally in the Premier League last season.
• Antonio Conte has won his last 21 league games at home as a manager, and not lost in 30 since Juventus were beaten by Sampdoria in January 2013.

Liverpool

• Liverpool's tally of 32 points from their last 17 games is only bettered by Manchester United (34).
• The Reds have scored an unrivalled 50 Premier League goals in 2016, managing three goals or more in eight matches.
• However, their only clean sheet in 12 away games during this calendar year came against Aston Villa in February.
• They could go nine away matches without a clean sheet in the league for the first time since May 2005

To be played on Friday 16th September 2016 at 19:00. Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Odds: Chelsea 5/4, Draw 5/2, Liverpool 2/1
Liverpool head to Stamford Bridge on Friday evening to take on Chelsea in their latest Premier League clash.
The Reds will be buzzing after their 4-1 victory against reigning champions Leicester City last time out, while Chelsea will want to get back to winning ways after drawing 2-2 with Swansea City courtesy of a late strike from Diego Costa.

The recent results mean Liverpool are sixth in the table with seven points from a possible 12 while Chelsea are second after dropping their first two points of the campaign.
In early team news, Liverpool are likely to be without Emre Can – who is lacking match fitness despite returning to training – while Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez are both ruled out.
As for Chelsea, they cannot call on John Terry or Kurt Zouma, meaning summer signing David Luiz looks set to make his second debut for the Blues at the heart of their defence.

Chelsea predicted lineup

• Thibaut Courtois
• César Azpilicueta
• Gary Cahill
• David Luiz
• Branislav Ivanovic
• Eden Hazard
• N'Golo Kanté
• Nemanja Matic
• Oscar
• Willian
• Diego Costa

Liverpool predicted lineup

• Simon Mignolet
• Nathaniel Clyne
• Dejan Lovren
• Joel Matip
• Philippe Coutinho
• Jordan Henderson
• Adam Lallana
• Sadio Mané
• James Milner
• Georginio Wijnaldum
• Roberto Firmino    
•  

  Prediction

  • Chelsea failed to make their dominance pay against Swansea and somehow ended up drawing the game 2-2. That would have been a disappointing performance to take for Antonio Conte's side and they will need to get their heads up when they welcome a Liverpool side full of confidence.
  • Jurgen Klopp's side were in breathtaking form going forward against Leicester and they will want to put David Luiz under pressure from the off in his second debut for the club. They are unbeaten in their last three competitive matches against Chelsea. Their defence remains a real cause for concern, having failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last six league matches.
  • Chelsea have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 11 league games, which suggests there could be goals on offer for both teams on Friday.

  
  

                                         Chelsea  3        Liverpool 2