Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has called for his players not to fear Chelsea when the Reds travel to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final encounter.
The Merseyside club welcomed the Blues to Anfield in the first leg clash last Tuesday, but were only able to manage a 1-1 draw with Jose Mourinho's crew. A week later, Liverpool are gearing up to make the trip to west London as they seek to book their spot in the League Cup final.
A key stat to mention is that Chelsea have only lost once this season at Stamford Bridge. The English Premier League leaders are a formidable side at home, but Rodgers believes his team's recent form is enough to earn them a victory.
“The message is for us to go out and have no fear," the Liverpool boss stated.
“We respect the opponent of course because they’re a very good team but we’ve got nothing to fear in the game. We’re a team that’s in a good moment.
“We’re playing well, we’re working well and we know we can go there and win – that’s key.”
Chelsea will head into Tuesday's clash on the back of their shock FA Cup elimination. Mourinho's men fell to an unbelievable 4-2 home loss at the hands of Bradford City, a defeat which Rodgers claims will negatively weigh on the Chelsea players' minds for the semi-final game.
“Certainly (their) result at the weekend doesn't help,” Rodgers added. “It will be a great motivation for them to go out in a different competition to make a statement. They will want to go out and put it right, but in the back of the their mind even if they are 2-0 up, they will have a bit of trepidation, wondering what can happen.”
