Chelsea players celebrate against Ajax in the Champions League. (Getty Images)
The season’s first blockbuster clash sees Chelsea welcome last season’s champions Liverpool to Stamford Bridge. Both teams picked up 3 points in their opening games against Brighton and Leeds respectively, albeit Liverpool had a few scares along the way.
Chelsea will feel more confident going into the game, with new signing Timo Werner starting to show his potential. Nonetheless, it is Liverpool and they should be cautious in their approach.
Chelsea have quite some players out with injuries. New signings Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Hakim Ziyech are all ruled out. Christian Pulisic and Billy Gilmour are also among the names who are likely to be out. Other than that, Frank Lampard will still have a lot of options to choose from.
Manager Frank Lampard showed faith in Kepa in the last game but it remains to be seen how long that can be sustained, especially with Edouard Mendy on the cusp of joining.
James produced a moment of magic in the last game just as Brighton were looking to get back in the game. He keeps his place at right-back.
Another scorer from the last game, Zouma will be one of the two centre-backs this time around.
Christensen should continue alongside Zouma after impressing in the previous game.
With Ben Chilwell still out with injury, Alonso is likely to start at left-back.
Despite being linked with an exit (source – Sky Sports), Kante remains a vital part of Chelsea’s midfield.
He scored the opener against Brighton and will start alongside Kante in midfield.
Mount will need to step up his game if he is to keep his place in the starting XI when a fully fit squad is available.
Havertz had a decent debut for his new club but might have to slot in at right-wing to accommodate others for the Liverpool game.
Werner looked very comfortable in his first outing in the Premier League. He was involved in the first goal when he was brought down in the box and Jorginho converted the penalty. Werner will be leading the line again for Chelsea but will have a whole different challenge in the form of a certain Virgil Van Dijk.
The youngster will be hoping to make his first start of the season in the absence of Pulisic. He will need to grab this opportunity with both hands.
