Chelsea will travel to Anfield this Saturday to face Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in a mouth-watering Premier League match-up that could even be described as an early title clash.
The Reds have had a relatively comfortable start to the season, beating newly-promoted Norwich as well as Burnley, but this will be the first big test for Klopp's men.
Currently sitting in joint-first, right alongside their upcoming opponents, Liverpool will see this as an opportunity to put a marker down right from the start of the season.
Meanwhile, the Blues have so far seen off two London rivals in the form of Crystal Palace and Arsenal, both of which they have done without conceding a goal as of yet in a sign of their rock solid defence.
Thomas Tuchel will hope his side can go into the international break in a strong position, so that they are ready for some more tough fixtures after the brief hiatus, with Manchester City and Tottenham to come in September, among others.
Team News
Klopp told the media, in regards to injury news: 'Robbo [Andy Robertson] is not now in training since yesterday, he was in training early enough to be in the squad last week.'
The return of Andy Robertson will be a welcome sight for Liverpool fans, though as Klopp mentioned, Kostas Tsimikas has been a more than adequate stand-in.
Fabinho and James Milner could both be absent, however, due to personal reasons and a slight knock respectively, though the midfield depth should be able to cover their unavailability.
During his pre-match press conference, Tuchel said that there were no new injury concerns since last weekend’s win against Arsenal.
Christian Pulisic will remain sidelined due to him being in quarantine but Tuchel and Chelsea fans will be hoping that the tricky American winger can get back to training as soon as possible for some big games in September.
Elsewhere, with an otherwise fully fit squad, the German head coach will have some tough decisions to make with regards to who gets into his starting eleven on Saturday.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool (4-3-3):
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Henderson, Keita; Salah, Jota, Mane
Chelsea (3-4-3):
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Lukaku, Werner
Form Guide
It might have only been two games so far but Liverpool fans couldn't have asked for anything better if they tried - two wins, five goals scored and zero goals conceded. While the pre-season was slightly more mixed in terms of results, the performances were clearly there which should fill fans with plenty of optimism.
A beautiful cross from Kostas, brilliantly headed home by @DiogoJota18...
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 23, 2021
But made 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 complete by hearing that Anfield roar again ⚽🔊 pic.twitter.com/dCgk7UpPSV
The return of Virgil Van Dijk has been a welcome sight, as has that of Diogo Jota who, when he plays, is something of a goalscoring machine. Mohammed Salah is also already off the mark, scoring on the opening day so finding things to worry about would be a difficult task.
That said, if you could've added one thing to the Anfield-based side's beginning to the campaign, a European trophy wouldn't have been a bad option. The Blues have matched their opponents in regards to domestic form, but with a UEFA Super Cup also to their name, they are bound to be full of confidence.
What's more, new summer signing Romelu Lukaku scored within a quarter of an hour on his 'second debut' for the club, in a London derby no less, meaning the problems of last season in front of goal may finally have been put to rest.
Instant impact. 💥 pic.twitter.com/lCMmZUnJI5
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2021
Ones To Watch
It's been said many times that perhaps the greatest player the Blues let slip through their grasp, along with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, is the aforementioned Egyptian winger.
He has now enjoyed four successive seasons of virtually unparalleled success, scoring 96 league goals in the process, and has a history of coming back to bite his old club.
Therefore, the 29-year-old looks set to be in the spotlight on Saturday evening, much to the discomfort of Chelsea fans everywhere.
The club record signing got off to the perfect start last weekend, scoring early on to help his side comfortably defeat London rivals Arsenal 2-0.
His strength and power was on display in abundance, with Pablo Mari having a torrid time of it throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes as he struggled to contain him.
Despite the upcoming opposition having a vastly superior back line, the Belgian will likely find ways to trouble the defence, so expect him to be in the headlines once again.
Luk who's back 🔥#FPL #ARSCHE pic.twitter.com/K9PFgtHKXa
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 22, 2021
Previous Five Meetings
This fixture has always produced exciting matches, particularly in the Premier League era, with some astonishing goals also on display.
Back in September 2019, the two sides met in the league at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues under the leadership of recently appointed head coach Frank Lampard.
On that day, Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat, including goals from Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino, as well as a sumptuous solo run and finish from N'Golo Kante.
A few months later, and in one of the last games before the pandemic postponed games, an FA Cup fixture was won by Chelsea, courtesy of a mistake from Adrian, combined with an excellent run and eventual finish from Ross Barkley in the second half.
Next, during the post-lockdown period, Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy in fine style, defeating the Blues 5-3 in what was undoubtedly the most exciting result between the two teams for many years.
It involved a touchline spat, remarkable footwork from Christian Pulisic and, as seemed so common at that time, a mistake from Kepa to cap things off.
Another win for Klopp's men came a few months later, again at Stamford Bridge, when Kepa Arrizabalaga hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons following a poor performance.
During that game, Andreas Christensen also had a day to forget, being sent off just before half time, preventing the hosts from even having a chance of getting something from the game in the end.
Finally, in March of this year, Tuchel defeated his compatriot, guiding his side to a 1-0 win in which Mason Mount scored perhaps his best goal in a Chelsea shirt.
Overall, a mixed bag of results for each side in recent history, with the Reds tentatively on top, though it's by no means a given that they'll triumph on Saturday night.
How To Watch
This big clash will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK, with a 5:30pm kick off time, while in America the action will be broadcast on NBC.
You can also follow our live blog, right here on VAVEL for the latest updates from the game.