LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA
Barclays Premier League | Sun, 19 Aug 07, 16:00 | Anfield

He we go again, another bout with our London rivals. Liverpool have had the upper hand in recent encounters, having played nine times in the past two seasons the two have drew twice, Chelsea have won four times and Liverpool three. The upper hand comes in that Liverpool have knocked Chelsea out of two major cup competitions in the past two years, the FA Cup in 2006 and the Champions League in 2007 added to the fact that Liverpool have the most recent win between the teams in league via a 2-0 win at Anfield last season. On another note, there has not been a draw between the two in the league since May 2001 (12 matches).

With Chelsea’s defence looking a bit shaky in recent games the return to fitness of John Terry could’not come at a better time, with Richardo Carvalho suffering an injury in the game against Reading, whether or not he will feature from kick off remains to be seen.
Liverpool has no such important injury worries, with captain Steven Gerrard declared fit to play after receiving a hairline fracture in his toe during the Champions League clash with Toulouse and should almost certainly start but will be rested for England’s glamour friendly against Germany next week.

With team morale high, a win against Chelsea early in the season will give the team a boost they need to sustain a title challenge, a loss at home however could prove costly; the Reds have only lost one home Premiership game since the same fixture in 2005, when they were comprehensively defeated 4-1.

Form Guide

Liverpool:
11th Aug v Aston Villa (A) WON 2-1
15th Aug v Toulouse (A) WON 1-0

Chelsea:
5th Aug v Manchester Utd (N) LOST 1-1 (AET 0-3 on Pens)
11th Aug v Birmingham City (H) WON 3-2
15th Aug v Reading (A) WON 2-1

Team News

Injures/Doubtfuls

Liverpool:
H Kewell (groin)
F Aurelio (ruptured Achilles)

Chelsea:
R Carvalho (ankle)
M Essien (knee)
A Shevchenko (groin strain)
C Makelele (knee)
W Bridge (hip surgery)
M Ballack (ankle surgery)

Possible Starting XIs:

Liverpool:
Reina, Finnan, Agger, Carragher, Riise, Pennant, Alonso, Gerrard, Babel, Torres, Kuyt

Chelsea:
Cech, Cole, Ben Haim, Terry, Johnson, Wright-Phillips, Sidwell, Lampard, Malouda, Pizarro, Drogba

Brian Irvine
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