Liverpool vs Chelsea: The ultimate challenge!

(Baonghean.vn) - Early tomorrow morning (03:00, 01/02), the highlight match of round 23 between Liverpool and Chelsea will take place. This is not simply a confrontation between two North - South, Blue - Red teams with a predestined relationship. Moreover, this battle will be a huge challenge for both teams, the victory or defeat will greatly affect the race for the English Premier League (NHA) championship this season.

This encounter with the “Red Devils” of Merseyside is making people think of the haunting memories for Chelsea. Surely the fans of the London team, coach Mourinho and leader John Terry still cannot forget the pain of more than a decade ago. That was on May 3, 2005, also at Anfield, Liverpool defeated Chelsea in the second leg of the 2004-2005 Champions League semi-final, with the only goal scored by Luis Garcia.

Chelsea is flying high at the top of the Premier League rankings…Photo: Internet

The Mourinho era is over, Stamford Bridge is shining under Conte. But John Terry is still there as a spiritual leader rather than a steel shield in defense. However, they could not have joy when welcoming the "Devils" in the first leg this season. Yes, the "aristocratic" Liverpool showed their charm against the big guys when winning 2-1 at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.

However, Chelsea is different now, the times have also changed. Although Tottenham blocked their way in round 20, ending their 13-match winning streak, the 3-4-3 formation is still helping Chelsea become a real "winning machine". After the slip-up at White Hart Lane, this year's "King" of Winter continued to prove his class with two consecutive convincing victories against defending champions Leicester City (3-0) and Hull City (2-0).

Chelsea have won 15 of their last 16 Premier League games and kept a clean sheet for the 13th time this season. More importantly, they have opened up an eight-point gap over second-placed Arsenal. In particular, striker Diego Costa has returned to the spotlight after a turbulent week, with rumours that he wants to move to China for a “huge” salary.

Traveling to Anfield this time, Conte and his students will definitely be determined to win all 3 points. The intact squad and rising spirit are supporting them to make that happen. A victory will not only pay off the principal and interest but also make the path to the Throne more open.

While Liverpool is like a "demon pack" that has lost its way. Photo: Internet

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp and his students are going through a dark period when they have suffered three consecutive defeats at home. Worse still, two of the three defeats above have knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup and League Cup. The remaining defeat against Swansea in the 22nd round of the Premier League has also gradually ended The Kop's hopes of being crowned champions when they are 10 points behind the top team Chelsea. It is worth mentioning that Anfield has always been considered a dangerous place - where The Kop have never lost in the last 17 Premier League matches. Those are real earthquakes, showing that the "fangs" of the "Red Devils" of Merseyside are not as sharp as people think.

The defense is their “disaster”. In the TOP 4, Liverpool is the team with the strongest attack with 51 goals, but they also have the worst defense, having conceded 27 goals after 22 rounds. Meanwhile, Chelsea has only conceded 15 goals. Obviously, when Firmino - Coutinho - Mane - Lallana are fully on the field and maintain their form, they are capable of making up for the mistakes of the defense and causing chaos in the Premier League. But when the “atomic quartet” is “injured”, Liverpool quickly collapses, because the attack is not strong enough to compensate for the looseness of the defense, even in a match where no one believes they will lose.

But the opportunity will be divided equally for both in this ultimate challenge. Photo: Internet

However, the interesting thing is that Liverpool always plays like they are possessed when facing opponents of equal strength and ability. Their victories over Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea in the first leg, along with the return of their main striker Sadio Mane, are a warning to the elite, combative army of "famous general" Conte. Chelsea will certainly have to use more than 100% of both mind and strength to overcome. As for Liverpool, if they want to continue pursuing the championship race, they must complete the mission of rescuing the Premier League, like Tottenham did. Obviously, Anfield is the holy land of the "Devils", but it will be a huge challenge for both ambitious players./.

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