Chelsea will welcome league leaders and reigning champions Liverpool to the Bridge on Saturday. The match is set to be an evenly-fought affair, as has been the trend in recent years.
Liverpool will hope to avoid back-to-back league defeats after their perfect beginning to the season was foiled by fellow London club, Crystal Palace. They have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2020, and were most recently defeated 3-1 at the end of last season.
Chelsea come into this game with back-to-back league defeats as well as back-to-back red cards - and Enzo Maresca will hope the trend does not continue. The Blues have won just two of their opening six games, and their form will need to improve quickly in order to stay competitive at the top of the table.
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Team News
Chelsea
The Blues are still short in the centre-back department - Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana all remain on the injury list, whilst Trevoh Chalobah is required to serve his one match suspension after being sent off against Brighton.
Midfielders Cole Palmer and Andrey Santos will be unavailable until after the October international break, whilst Dario Essugo will miss an extended period after requiring surgery last month for a thigh issue.
João Pedro was rested for the midweek Champions League fixture against Benfica, so will likely begin from the off in this game, as Liam Delap targets a return before the end of the year.
Also rested was Romeo Lavia, who will be itching for a full return to the team. The midfielder starred in Chelsea’s last home game against Liverpool, which ended in a 3-1 victory.
Liverpool
First team goalkeeper Alisson could be out for up to six weeks after picking up an injury in the 1-0 loss to Galatasaray, which means new signing Giorgi Mamardashvilli looks set for a run of matches in the first team.
18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni will likely miss the majority of the season as a result of his ACL injury.
The only other doubts for Arne Slot are Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike. Both have returned to team training, and either could make a cameo from the bench if required - though Slot may not want to risk further injury.
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Predicted Line-Ups
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia, Fernandez; Estevao, Neto, Pedro
Liverpool: Mamardashvilli; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo. Isak
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Players to Watch
Chelsea - Benoit Badiashile
Chelsea’s recent league form leaves a lot to be desired, with just two points gained from their last three matches.
Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Benfica offered signals of a turning point, with a first clean sheet in all competitions since the end of August.
Benoît Badiashile’s outing in that game was a big contributing factor - the Frenchman starting his first game in defence since returning from injury.
He looked calm and composed on the ball and used his physicality to nullify Benfica’s wide men when necessary - something the Blues have been sorely lacking amid the absence of Levi Colwill.
An on-form Badiashile could give Chelsea a real advantage against an attack as versatile and deadly as Liverpool.
Liverpool - Alexander Isak
Whilst he is still very much settling into life on Merseyside, Alexander Isak is more than capable of offering a real threat against Chelsea.
At Newcastle he found the net in three out of a total five games against the Blues, and established himself as one of the most talented strikers in Europe - thanks to his top-class movement, dribbling and clinical nature in front of goal.
The price paid by Liverpool represents their belief in his quality, and he looks set to play his first full match for the club this weekend.
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Match Details
Where is the match taking place?
Liverpool will play a third straight game away from home as they travel to Stamford Bridge in London.
What time is kick-off?
The match is the later Saturday kick-off, and will begin at 17:30pm GMT.
Where can I watch?
Fans in the UK can watch the game live on Sky Sports.
