The Premier League sees two struggling giants clash on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea hosts Liverpool after both teams suffered demoralizing defeats.
On Saturday, Chelsea suffered a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, just hours before Liverpool was soundly beaten 4-1 by Manchester City. The international break came at an inopportune time for Chelsea, who had just begun to relieve the pressure on manager Graham Potter’s shoulders in March. However, Aston Villa picked up where they left off before the break and secured an easy victory against Chelsea.
In their previous game, Chelsea had won three and drawn one match. But against Aston Villa, they played in a familiar, uninspired fashion and missed several gilt-edged chances. The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was tense, with Chelsea falling into the bottom half of the Premier League table and Potter losing his job.
Bruno Saltor will be in charge while Chelsea searches for a new manager. The team is now 13 points away from a top-four spot, after Newcastle United defeated Manchester United on Sunday. Chelsea’s recent record at Stamford Bridge has been poor, with only one win in their last five Premier League games.
Liverpool, on the other hand, is also in a difficult position. During their game against Manchester City, players surrounded the referee in protest, with Liverpool frustrated that Rodri was not given a second yellow card. However, Klopp was emotionless after the game, stating that playing against 10 men would not have made a significant difference.
Although Liverpool went ahead through Mohamed Salah, they lost 4-1 to Manchester City, with Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, and Julian Alvarez scoring for the champions. Liverpool has now lost their last three games, all of which were played away from home, and have fallen to eighth place in the league table.
Liverpool faces Chelsea having slipped down to eighth place, with Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford overtaking them following their 3-3 draw at the Amex. Klopp has only seen four players performing at an acceptable level in their last match, with Liverpool losing five of their last seven Premier League away games.
Klopp and Chelsea previously faced off in January, with both sides drawing in a goalless stalemate. It was the third time in a row that both teams failed to score against each other in 90 minutes. Some may predict that the upcoming match may have a similarly uneventful outcome.
