In a rare Friday night match, two of the Premier League’s top sides in Chelsea and Liverpool are set to square off at Stamford Bridge. TheHardTackle picks its combined playing eleven ahead of the much anticipated clash.
Chelsea have made a good start to the season under new manager Antonio Conte. The Blues have won three games and drawn one, and sit comfortably in second spot on the Premier League table.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have continued to be inconsistent in the first four weeks of the new season and are currently placed sixth on the table. Looking ahead to the game, TheHardTackle has compiled a combined eleven for both sides, featuring six Chelsea players and five Reds in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper
With both goalkeepers having kept only one clean sheet in four games, it becomes a tough choice over which stopper to pick. Thibaut Courtois has had a stable back four ahead of him, but has not looked overly impressive this season.
Simon Mignolet too, has not begun the season on the right note and surprisingly conceded two goals against newly promoted side Burnley. The Belgian was not even Jurgen Klopp’s first choice at the start of the season, but due to Loris Karius’ injury, Mignolet is being used.
Thus, on face value, we go for Thibaut Courtois. The Chelsea goalkeeper is above Mignolet in the pecking order for the national side and is by far a more sharper and agile goalkeeper.
Defenders
At right-back, Nathaniel Clyne trumps Bransilav Ivanovic for a place in the team. The English defender is more tactically astute than Ivanovic and is also a better contributor in the final third as compared to the Serb.
A tough battle for left-back between James Milner and Cesar Azpilicueta, but the Liverpool man makes the cut predominantly because of his flying start to the new season. Playing as a makeshift defender, Milner has performed extremely well and has actually made Liverpool look safer defensively.
TheHardTackle has opted for a centre-back pairing of Dejan Lovren and Gary Cahill. Lovren has looked resolute at the back for the Reds and seems to have eliminated the school-boy errors from his game.
Given John Terry’s absence due to injury, his partner Cahill gets the nod in the playing eleven. Alongside the club captain, Cahill, too, has been a rock at the back for the Blues and has offered substantial protection for Thibaut Courtois in goal.
Central midfielders
Forming the double pivot in our 4-2-3-1 setup are Chelsea midfielders N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic. Despite not playing alongside each other in the league in quite the same formation, the two central midfielders along with Brazilian Oscar have been influential in Chelsea’s positive start to the campaign.
New signing Kante has been playing as the lone defensive midfielder for Antonio Conte and has been a vital cog at the heart of midfield for the Italian. Matic, who has been played in a slightly advanced position has also greatly improved his form compared to last season.
Attacking midfielders
Liverpool signed Sadio Mane in the summer from Southampton for £34 million. But in only three games, the Senegalese has already silenced critics as he has been outstanding down the right wing for Liverpool. He energy, dynamism, pace and strength make him a huge attacking weapon for Jurgen Klopp.
His teammate Roberto Firmino has been deployed as a false nine this season and has done fairly well to impact proceedings. In TheHardTackle’s team, he will play as a number 10, drifting in and around the box to assist the lone striker.
For the left wing position, Eden Hazard undoubtedly deserves his spot in the eleven. The Belgian regained his golden touch in the European Championships and has continued to shine at the club level in the Premier League.
Striker
With four goals in as many games, Diego Costa is an obvious pick in the team. The 27-year-old has made quite a habit of scoring late goals for the Blues, as three of his strikes have come after the 80-minute mark. He will be hoping to continue his goalscoring form and take Chelsea to the top of the table with a win on Friday.
