On Sunday, October 20th, two powerhouses of English football face off in the Premier League: at the iconic Anfield, Liverpool will host Chelsea. Liverpool must try to maintain their lead, while Chelsea could make a significant leap forward. Read all about it in this article.
Liverpool – Chelsea
Chelsea and Liverpool were not immediate rivals when they first met on December 25, 1907. Chelsea won that match 4-1, but in the years that followed, it was Liverpool who experienced more success. The Reds would go on to win the First Division sixteen more times over the next century, while Chelsea only claimed one title. This cemented Liverpool’s status as one of the greatest clubs in England. However, from the early 21st century, Chelsea became more successful, notably under the management of José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.
This is also when the rivalry with Liverpool intensified. The first match that ignited this rivalry was on the final day of the 2002-2003 Premier League season. Both teams had 64 points, sitting in 4th and 5th place, battling for a spot in the next season’s Champions League. Chelsea won the match, ensuring that Liverpool only qualified for the UEFA Cup. Since then, they have frequently faced each other in important matches.
Liverpool
Anfield is the home stadium of Liverpool FC, which was founded in 1892 by former Everton chairman John Houlding. When Everton refused to buy the land and chose another stadium, Houlding decided to establish his own club. Liverpool played its first match on September 1, 1892. Since then, the club has enjoyed much success, particularly in the 1970s and 80s, followed by a period of lesser performance. Under coach Jürgen Klopp, the club experienced a resurgence starting in 2015. In total, Liverpool has won the Premier League 19 times and the FA Cup 8 times, with 6 Champions League titles and 1 Club World Cup at the international level.
This summer, Klopp was replaced by Dutch manager Arne Slot, who won the Eredivisie title with Feyenoord last year. At Liverpool, Slot is proving he can be successful again: after 7 matches, with 6 wins already under their belt, Liverpool sits atop the league standings. They are just one point ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal.
Liverpool’s efficiency largely comes from Egyptian Mo Salah, who has scored 6 goals in 10 matches. He has now played over 350 games in a Liverpool shirt, but he has a strong reason to make this season a success. Last year, the Reds finished third, but they never truly competed for the title, and Salah is determined to change that this season. It is rumored to be his final season with Liverpool.
Chelsea
This London club was founded in 1905 by Gus Mears, who converted Stamford Bridge from an athletics stadium into a football stadium. Chelsea had significant success in the 1950s, but their most successful period was in the 1990s and 2000s. With legendary managers like José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea won numerous trophies, including several Premier League titles, FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea has a squad of no fewer than 43 players, although only 28 train together. However, that group contains many high-quality players. For example, Cole Palmer, who was Chelsea’s top scorer last season with 25 goals across all competitions. This year, he has already scored 6 goals in 9 matches. But one player is doing even better: French footballer Christopher Nkunku has already scored one more goal. Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson have also scored 5 and 4 goals, respectively.
Additionally, Spanish defender Marc Cucurella and Roméo Lavia also play for this team. You might have heard of the latter: the Belgian Lavia came with high expectations when Chelsea signed him, but injuries have prevented him from showing his full potential. A month ago, he played an inspiring match against Manchester City, but we’ve had to wait for more since then. He could soon make his return.
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