Jose Mourinho and his Blues will risk their unbeaten streak against Liverpool on Saturday. This will be one more test for Chelsea against one of their biggest rivals, who will be claiming revenge after their 2-0 loss that ended up costing the Reds their first Premier League title. Questions rise about which weapons each manager will use, and based on their previous games, we will try to determine which players Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers will start on Saturday.
Liverpool
Sometimes losses provide with more solutions than a win, and this may be the case for Liverpool. The Reds played with a rather different team against Real Madrid in their mid-week Champions League match, and the outcome wasn't as bad as expected.
Even with all the criticism, Brendan Rodgers' team managed to limit Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. to only one goal, having Kolo Toure praised by both fans and experts. This may prove to be a solution for Rodgers' dubious defense, since key players like Martin Skrtel have not been in top shape this season.
Having only kept a clean sheet in sixteen matches this season, it seems most of Liverpool's changes could come on their defending crew. It's also pretty clear that, after his infamous slip last year, captain Steven Gerrard will want revenge against the Blues, so he may be a sure bet for Rodgers' starting eleven.
Regarding his attack, Rodgers may have a little trouble finding a suitable combination. Having three of his strikers without scoring a single goal this season (Balotelli, Borini and Lambert), it seems Raheem Sterling will be joined by either one that has enjoyed most of the minutes but has disappointed everyone (Balotelli), or the Kingston-born wingman will be joined by the one that impressed his coach with his spirit and sacrifice (Borini).
Liverpool's probable lineup vs Chelsea: Mignolet; Johnson, Touré, Lovren, Moreno; Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho,Leiva; Sterling, Borini.
Chelsea
"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be." That should be Jose Mourinho's approach regarding his lineup against the Reds.
The team that has dominated the start of the Premier League gets to this match heavily favored to add three points to their total, and repeating their Starting XI should come in handy. Perhaps tired players or last minute injuries could stop that from happening, but knowing Mourinho, few things may change from what we are used to see this season.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be a safe bet defending Chelsea's net. On the backfield, Gary Cahill and John Terry should lead the pack, joined by Cesar Azpilicueta -fresh off a suspension- and Branislav Ivanovic completing the back four.
Chelsea's midfield may store the possible surprise, having Obi Mikel unavailable. Cesc Fabregas will surely be commanding Chelsea's midfield, with the possibility of Ramires joining Matic on the middle. Belgian Eden Hazard will surely want revenge after missing a penalty kick against Maribor on Wednesday, while Willian and Oscar will fight for the remaining spot. Leading Chelsea's attack, if he is healthy, Diego Costa will be the safe bet for Stamford Bridge's outfit.
Chelsea's probable lineup vs Liverpool: Courtois; Cahill, Ivanovic, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas, Ramires; Hazard, Oscar, Diego Costa.
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