Key events
And Enzo Maresca’s
It’s nice [to play Liverpool]. It’s a chance to learn and we’ve prepared as best we can.
[On Chelsea’s injuries] Nine players are unfortunately out, plus we have two or three players [who are carrying injuries*] We will try to find solutions and hopefully we can have a good day – for us and for the fans.
* Including Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro.
Arne Slot’s pre-match thoughts
[On Giorgi Mamardashvili’s Premier League debut] In the last two games, Ali [Alisson] was involved more than I would like. Giorgi did very well against Southampton so it’s not his first start for us – he’s an experienced goalkeeper and he’s in a good place.
[On the inclusion of Cody Gakpo ahead of Florian Wirtz] We have a lot of games, and you see around the world that teams have to change one or two players. Then before the game starts you try to decide what is the best fit for that particular player. You can’t compare the playing style of Chelsea with the playing style of Crystal Palace.
“On the subject of Florian Wirtz, for anyone who hasn’t seen, Sky has just posted a lovely collection of interviews with some of his former friends and coaches,” writes Maximilian Sanderson. “Here in Germany he is loved and memed in almost equal measure (the latter affectionately so, and mostly thanks to his viral potato ranking video during the Euros), so I didn’t fully know what to expect, but he seems like a genuinely decent guy with a good support network around him. He might not be starting tonight but I reckon it won’t be long before the goals start to flow…”
If he’s so good, why didn’t he score 44 goals in his first five games? Eh?
A Liverpool fan writes
“Having spent nearly f-o-u-r hours making the one-hour journey to my mother-in-law’s, I’m not in the best of moods,” chirps Matt Dony. “Thanks, M4 closures. Big help. Nothing quite like crawling through Port Talbot at below walking pace.
“Anyway. If this was last year, I’d have been fairly confident. Well, not confident exactly. I don’t think I’ve ever been genuinely confident before a football match. But I’d have been a lot more relaxed than I am now. The late goals have been tremendous fun, but wildly unsustainable. The performances have had their moments, but we’re still in the waiting-to-click phase.
“You never wish ill on players, but I’m relieved to be facing Chelsea minus Cole Palmer. Even so, I’m not counting on still being top of the league in a few hours time. And on Wirtz being benched; It’s the earliest of early days. He’s an astonishingly talented footballer, and I liked everything I saw of him last season. Still, I can’t help but remember watching Naby Keita tear it up for Leipzig…”
On Wirtz, the Pires Principle dictates that any judgement on creative players who are new to English football should be deferred until their second season.
Emphasis on ‘should’, because there is overwhelming evidence to suggest we’ve all gone completely mad.
Has Arne Slot taken Liverpool as far as he can?
Read Barney Ronay on Florian Wirtz
Cause and effect latest
Team news: Wirtz on the bench
The teenager Josh Acheampong replaces the suspended Trevoh Chalobah in the Chelsea defence. That’s one of four changes from the side that started last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton. Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto and Alejandro Garnacho come in for Jarrel Hato, Andrey Santos (who is injured) and Estevao. That means Reece James is likely to start in midfield.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was probably the best goalkeeper at Euro 2024, deputises for the injured Alisson. Arene Slot makes one other change, with Cody Gakpo preferred to Florian Wirtz in attack. Wirtz is part of a formidable Liverpool subs bench.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Neto, Enzo, Garnacho; Joao Pedro.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Slonina, Hato, Lavia, Emenalo, Buonanotte, Estevao, Gittens, Guiu.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Isak, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Wirtz, Chiesa, Jones, Ekitike, Robertson, Frimpong.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Preamble
The world champions meet the English champions at Stamford Bridge tonight, but nobody will be talking about the glories of the recent past. Chelsea and Liverpool are both in contention for the Premier League Crisis Baton™ – passed each week to the team that a hysterical media deems to be in crisis – after suffering a dip in form towards the end of September.
Chelsea have taken only one point from their last three Premier League games. Liverpool have lost their last two in all competitions and didn’t even play that well in the seven straight wins before that.
In times of trouble, tough games are a mixed blessing. Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot know that, if they win tonight, the negative chatter will stop just like that. But if they lose, the external noise will be amplified.
Kick off 5.30pm.
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