Premier League: Expect the Big Players to Perform When Title Hopefuls Clash

Liverpool vs Chelsea

We’re only two weeks into the new Premier League season but we’ve already seen some explosive action.

Manchester City and Manchester United have already dropped points, leaving five teams on a maximum six points.

Brighton have made a bright start, while West Ham have carried on their superb form of 2020/21 and Nuno Espirito Santo has made a fine start at Tottenham – including an opening day victory over Manchester City.

Meanwhile, both Liverpool and Chelsea have started with two wins and they meet in the match of the weekend on Saturday, so something is about to change when the two juggernauts collide at Anfield.

With the early Premier League 2021 results going pretty much to plan for both teams, who’s going to come out on top in the teatime fixture?

Talking Points

Van Dijk and Henderson can give Liverpool an edge

In what could be the most competitive Premier League title race in years, every team with eyes on the big prize is looking for any advantage and Liverpool are no exception.

The return to fitness of Virgil van Dijk is one of the biggest factors for the Reds as he was sorely missed last season. And with Jordan Henderson back in action too, Jurgen Klopp’s team are title contenders once more.

Both were influential in Liverpool’s recent victory over Burnley, though the Liverpool boss wasn’t entirely happy.

Most managers, fans, and pundits are pleased to see referees taking a more lenient approach this season following the rapid flow of bizarre decisions as officials clamped down on the tiniest infringements during the 2020/21 season.

But Klopp has pleaded for more protection for his players after the hard fought 2-0 win over Burnley last weekend. The Liverpool head coach took the unusual step of name-checking three of the Clarets he viewed to be too tough in their tackling after a match in which referee Mike Dean didn’t hand out a single card.

Virgil Van Dijk prepares as Liverpool take on Chelsea in the Premier League — Virgil Van Dijk during Liverpool’s match against Norwich City

Of course Klopp is playing the game of “influencing” referees which is often enjoyed by the top managers, and why not?

This week at Anfield, Anthony Taylor is in charge and Liverpool are looking for every single edge they can get if they are to keep pace with Manchester City and Chelsea.

Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane were on target against the Clarets and they both looked sharp, so the Blues defenders are bound to stay close.

Lukaku makes Chelsea serious contenders too

The early Premier League 2021 betting odds pitch the Blues as second favourites to win the title, so Thomas Tuchel’s European Champions already have an edge on the Reds who are at 5.00.

Both are in pursuit of Manchester City who are currently at 2.20, and so Saturday’s clash at Anfield is already a crucial fixture.

The West London club is buzzing following the return of Romelu Lukaku, who scored within 15 minutes of his first start in last week’s 2-0 win over Arsenal.

While Manchester City’s failure to land Tottenham striker Harry Kane has left the Sky Blues looking for a new scoring machine, Chelsea’s business in that regard is already done and Lukaku could be the last piece in an attacking jigsaw which already had Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz wowing the fans.

Meanwhile, midfield maestro Mason Mount is getting better by the year and this could be a huge campaign for the young England star.

History

The head-to-heads couldn’t be much closer at 31 to 28 in favour of Thomas Tuchel’s Blues, while there have been 19 draws in all games during the Premier League era.

Last season in empty stadiums, the away team won both of these fixtures. Liverpool triumphed 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in October while Chelsea exacted revenge at Anfield as Mason Mount scored a beauty in a 1-0 victory.

That loss to the Blues was Liverpool’s fifth home defeat on the bounce, but winning at Anfield will not be so easy this time around.

Coming into the game, both teams are in very good shape. Chelsea are unbeaten in seven, while the Reds are unbeaten in eight at home and are on a winning streak of three.