After a disappointing result mid-week in Europe, the late kick-off on Saturday is a huge chance for Liverpool to bounce back with a vital win against a top Premier League rival, with the winner of the game sitting in the top four when all is said and done.
Liverpool had an amazing start to their game midweek and put three goals away early, they completely caught out Sevilla time after time on the counter and the pace of the attack was too much.
Almost the complete opposite happened in the second half and Sevilla caught out a sleeping defence over and over until they eventually pulled it back from 3-0 to 3-3.
Antonio Conte’s men are in fine form at the moment with two away wins on the trot both 4-0 victories against West Brom and Quarabag, respectively.
Liverpool managed to see off West Ham and Southampton quite convincingly before the upset draw midweek so hopefully their confidence won’t be too damaged.
After a ridiculously poor second half against an inspired Sevilla, there are definitely changes to the squad I would make for the visit of the champions.
This is the team I’d like Jurgen to select:
Simon Mignolet
Karius didn’t particularly put in a bad performance against Sevilla and he even pulled of a fantastic save to deny the Spanish side in the first half. However, I feel rotating the keepers in different competitions is the right way forward for Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Joe Gomez is not a right back!! I feel against Chelsea we need to play a right back who is comfortable in the position and can cope with the attacking aspect of the game as well as dealing with Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso down this side.
Joel Matip
I know Joel Matip may not be back to full fitness by the weekend and if that is the case then I would go with Ragnar Klavan in this position. However, if the Cameroonian is fit he HAS to start as he is the best centre back in the club at the moment and is the best option to deal with the power and flair of Alvaro Morata and Hazard up top.
Joe Gomez
Gomez put in a man of the match performance in his first ever England game against Brazil. Straight after that, we saw him put straight back in at right back against Sevilla and he really struggled at times throughout the game as it isn’t his natural position.
Andrew Robertson
Alberto Moreno’s performance against Sevilla doesn’t really need too much said about, we all know it was poor and multiple match altering mistakes were made so clearly he needs to be dropped.
Robertson has shown he has the making of a great left back, he can defend and contribute to the attack when needed and after seeing Willian’s performance midweek, he needs solid cover.
Emre Can
Emre Can didn’t really impress when he came off the bench against Sevilla but is still solid in this role and last season, he showed he can step up in big games when the club need him to. I expect it to be a very hard game for Emre as NGolo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Cesc Fabregas are quite a handful, but if he’s at his best confident self, he has what it takes to play with such dominant midfielders.
James Milner
I have decided to drop Jordan Henderson here as he was simply not good enough against Sevilla and he didn’t look like a club captain. I was a big supporter of Hendo getting the armband when Steven Gerrard left but he isn’t vocal enough and in games like this, makes our midfield very flat.
James Milner was fantastic in midfield against Maribor in the 7-0 win and we will need his experience and leadership with Henderson not on the pitch.
Phillipe Coutinho
At the end of last season and in recent weeks, we have seen that Phil really comes into his own in the centre of the park as his technique and vision are second to none. With such prolific quick wingers, we will need his trademark long ball and quick passing the catch Chelsea on the break. If we get a set piece, it’s always nice to have Phil on the pitch as well.
Mo Salah
I don’t need to write a lot here as this is the easiest decision of the lot. With 14 goals in all competitions so far this season and nine in the Premier League, the competition’s top goalscorer is the first name in the team sheet. Salah has something big to prove against the club that cast him out after just one season.
Roberto Firmino
The cliche a game of two half has never been more relevant for Firmino’s performance against Sevilla. a Man of the Match worthy first half, where he bagged two goals and an assist, but then a poor second half where he failed to hold up the ball and play controlling football when we needed it the most.
He is too vital to every attacking move we have to leave out the team though and he adds so much to an already stellar attack.
LW. Sadio Mane
The best player in the team last season and one of the most important players this year, Mane has to be in the team and when you put him with Firmino and Salah, any defence in the world would be scared, let alone Chelsea.
David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta are not slow players but they still are no match for the pace and technique of the front three on their best day.
Sub. Lallana
As a bonus, I would love to see Adam Lallana back on the bench this weekend. His footwork and technique are things of beauty and we have missed him massively over the time he has been out.
We could really have used his footwork and great hold up play in the second half against Sevilla as we gave the ball away far too often and had no link up with the front three.