Liverpool FC host Chelsea tomorrow in what is no doubt the weekend’s headliner fixture. Chelsea come in to this one undefeated in their last five Premier League visits to Anfield (W2 D3). The Blues last setback on Anfield Road was a 4-1 loss in May of 2012. Taking a look at the injury and fitness report, the Reds face a couple doubts for this match.
“Emre struggles a little bit,” Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp said at his weekly news conference a couple hours ago.
“A strange situation in the game, a little muscle (problem). It could be close — he is a doubt, let me say it like this.”
Because it’s such a huge contest, we think he’ll go and thus we included him in our starting XI prediction below.
Joel Matip is a doubt, but we think he’ll likely be on the pitch for this one. Adam Lallana is coming back from his long term injury, and his return is not far off.
“Adam is on his way, no doubt about that.”
“We have to see how we will handle this in the next few days and weeks. Joel trained yesterday for the first time with the team and, again, we have to to see as well, but both give good signs — nothing else to say about that in the moment,” Klopp said.
Chelsea starting XI prediction available at this link.
Without further ado, here is our Liverpool FC starting XI prediction
Sadio Mane Roberto Firmino Mohamed Salah
Phillipe Coutinho Jordan Henderson Emre Can
Alberto Moreno Dejan Lovren Joel Matip Joe Gomez
Simon Mignolet
Odds: Liverpool FC 21/20, Draw 5/2, Chelsea 12/5
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Liverpool FC 2
As always feel free to post your own LFC starting XI and match score predictions in the comments section below.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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