Chelsea Determined to Bounce Back Against Liverpool

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud says the Blues are determined to respond positively to Sunday’s disappointing draw.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has been playing down his team’s chances ahead of a mid-week cup clash with Liverpool at Anfield and a league date at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, and not surprisingly, he’s not the only one at Chelsea talking about the Reds.

While their manager is saying that, as good as Chelsea have been so far—winning every league game before Sunday’s nil-nil draw with West Ham—they still aren’t at Liverpool’s level, striker Olivier Giroud is going to hold on passing judgement until after the sides play.

“They will provide a real test of how good we are,” Giroud said following the disappointing result on Sunday. “We need to show team character after the West Ham game, so there is nothing better than to play the team at the top of the League. It will be a good test.

“We want to be strong and show them that it won’t be easy for them. We want to keep the confidence high and come back to London with good momentum and start a winning run again. The cup match is going to be the best preparation for the Premier League game.”

The League Cup may be good preparation, but the expectation is that both sides will be heavily changed on Wednesday from the ones sent out in the league over the weekend—and from the ones that will then face off against each other in the league on Saturday.

Still, inevitably, a good result on Wednesday for Chelsea would give their players and fans a boost of confidence for the league clash, and the same will be for Liverpool regardless if Jürgen Klopp is likely to give some of his fringe players a chance to impress.

“We’re going there to win,” Giroud added. “We’re not just focusing on the other one. It was a bit disappointing against West Ham so we want to bounce back as soon as possible. We have to show stronger character and respond in the next game.”

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com