Premier League preview and odds: Chelsea vs Liverpool

Premier League preview and odds: Chelsea vs Liverpool

September 16 , 2016 20:00pm - Stamford Bridge

Premier League

Love it or hate, Friday night football looks set to become a permanent addition to the Premier League schedule. This weekend`s curtain-raiser sees unbeaten Chelsea host old foes Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Blues tackle old rivals under the Friday night lights

The absence of Captain John Terry means that David Luiz will step in to the back line for Chelsea as they look to extend their unbeaten run to six games on Friday night. Terry damaged his ankle in the draw against Swansea last weekend and could be out for up to two weeks.

Luiz has yet to feature since returning to the club on transfer deadline day for a £34m fee. The former Paris Saint-Germain player has previously played as a defender and midfielder for the Blues.

The Londoners won their three opening games under new boss Antonio Conte but were surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw by the Swans last weekend. That result left them in second place in the table, two points behind leaders Manchester City.

There is better news on the injury front for Liverpool as Dejan Lovren has been given the all clear to return to action this weekend, after missing the game against Leicester with an eye injury picked up in training.

The Reds will arrive in London full of confidence after pummelling the reigning Premier League champions 4-1 last Saturday. Jurgen Klopp will have been delighted with his team`s performance but must decide whether to reinstate Philippe Coutinho to the starting XI after he was rested last week following an international trip.

Team news

John Terry, Marco Van Ginkel and Kurt Zouma are all out of action for the home side.

Meanwhile, the visitors will continue without the services of Emre Can, Sheyi Ojo and Joe Gomez.

Recent form (League)

Chelsea: DWWWW

Liverpool: WDWLW

Betting odds and tips

Both sides have scored nine goals already this season - a tally only bettered by Manchester City, so there could be goals in this one. Liverpool are likely to take the more attacking approach and will look to exploit a defence that will be less solid without John Terry`s presence.

Based on their performance at the Emirates against Arsenal and at home to Leicester last week, Liverpool can be expected to grab at least one away goal. But can that keep a clean sheet? They haven`t managed one so far and we can`t see that changing on Friday.

You can back Both Teams to Score at 4/7 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Go To bet365

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15/09/2016     © Frixo 2024