In between Chelsea’s semi-final meetings with Atlético Madrid the Blues travel to Anfield and José Mourinho has admitted he will field a weakened team against Liverpool as he strives to secure Champions League glory. A win for the Merseysiders would see them take a huge leap towards their first Premier League title and here at WhoScored.com we've analysed the key battles between the two sides this weekend.
Luis Suárez vs Gary Cahill
Luis Suárez is favourite to be named PFA Player of the Year, and deservedly so. The Uruguayan has enjoyed a prolific campaign, with his side-footed finish against Norwich taking him to 30 league goals for the season. With Daniel Sturridge struggling for fitness and having failed to net in his last three, the onus will again be on Suárez to provide the attacking threat for Liverpool as they look to avenge the defeat they suffered at Stamford Bridge in December.
With Petr Cech and John Terry set to miss the trip to Anfield, Gary Cahill will be tasked with keeping Suárez in check. The England international has impressed for the Blues this term, though it remains to be seen how he fares against the in-form frontman, especially with the erratic David Luiz alongside him. Suárez is currently WhoScored’s highest rated player in Europe’s top 5 leagues (8.55) and has won the most man of the match awards (14) on the continent.
However, Cahill turned out a commendable display against Atlético on Tuesday night, in the process landing the WhoScored man of the match award at the Vicente Calderón. Coupled with Suárez’s poor form against the rest of the top 4 - the striker has failed to net against Chelsea, Manchester City or Arsenal this season - it’s possible that Cahill could again stifle his attacking threat, much like he did in the reverse fixture.
Steven Gerrard vs Nemanja Matic
Under Brendan Rodgers, Steven Gerrard’s role has altered, with the Reds captain now operating as a deep-lying playmaker. While the England international may not make the late lung-busting runs from midfield he was famed for, he has taken to his new role with aplomb, with his pass success (86.2%) and average rating (7.72) both at their highest over the last 5 league seasons. Furthermore, only Suárez (12) has registered more assists than Gerrard (10), again a league high for the Liverpool skipper in the last 5 campaigns.
The man tasked with limiting Gerrard’s influence will be the monstrous Nemanja Matic. The 6’4” colossus returned to Stamford Bridge in January following a 3-year stint at Benfica and has already become a key member of Mourinho’s XI. Shielding the backline, Matic’s statistically calculated strength of ‘ball interception’ will likely be tested this weekend. Averaging more interceptions per match than any Chelsea player (2), the 25-year-old’s reading of the game will ensure Gerrard is unable to feed his more attack-minded teammates.
If Matic can perform his duties to the standards expected of him, the likes of Suárez, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho could struggle to gain a foothold in the encounter, while allowing the powerful Serb to instigate attacks of his own.
Martin Skrtel vs Chelsea’s Strikers
Rumours were abound last summer that Liverpool would sell Martin Skrtel, but the towering centre-back has become a crucial member of Brendan Rodgers’ XI. The Slovakian was the WhoScored man of the match in the reverse fixture this season, his only one of the campaign, and fans will be hoping he can turn out a repeat performance on Sunday.
From a Chelsea perspective, their primary striking options - Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba - have netted just 3 goals between them away from home in the league this term, though Mourinho may be tempted to have André Schürrle lead the attack at Anfield. The German is the Blues’ top goalscorer on the road (5), while his insistence to drop deeper will help suppress Liverpool’s threat from midfield.
The WhoScored match forecast suggests it is very likely Chelsea will ‘score a long shot’, while a strength of Schürrle’s is ‘long shots’. However, only Steven Caulker (50) and Ryan Shawcross (41) have blocked more efforts than Skrtel (36) this season and it will be up to the defender to charge out and deny Schürrle from utilising this aspect of his game.
What do you think are the key battles between Liverpool and Chelsea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
