Five talking points ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Stamford Bridge

With Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup behind them, Jurgen Klopp will be looking for a bit of revenge come Saturday when the Reds face the Blues at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Here is five major talking points ahead of the clash, which has certainly had plenty of history over the years.

1. Liverpool looking to continue the momentum

Liverpool will be gunning for a seventh straight win in their 2018-19 Premier League campaign, as they remain the only side in the league to win their first six fixtures.

The Reds really have started the season on fire, and despite the minor blip midweek, the supporters should be feeling as confident as ever.

It looks as if it is going to be one of those campaigns where winning every game feels like a must if you want to be lifting the title come May.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 15: Roberto Firmino of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal with team mate Trent Alexander-Arnold during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium on September 15, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

We all know Manchester City won’t ease up and they will continue to pile on the pressure, so maintaining pace with them is key to whether Liverpool are within the title race come the end of the season.

A win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge would be a massive confidence-booster, and could do wonders for the belief going forward for the Reds.

2. Changes

Klopp can take some positives from what he saw from what was very much a reserve XI in the Carabao Cup midweek. Chelsea had made changes as well, but there was still a strong contingency of players who started at Anfield that we will see from the first whistle come Saturday.

There is no denying that Liverpool’s reserve XI have nowhere near the quality that the first XI do, and there were times that the reserve side really exposed the Blues midweek regardless of this.

Chelsea are a quality side, and they will only be better come Saturday with a few changes, but Liverpool should have every belief they can outplay this Chelsea side and would have learnt a lot from the midweek clash.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 26: Sadio Mane of Liverpool heads the ball as Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea looks on during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on September 26, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

There is class all across the pitch when Klopp puts his best side out, but even then, he is yet to field his best XI. Things can only get better.

The only obvious concern is Virgil van Dijk and the rib injury he has sustained, but he is a chance to play, which is good news.

Predicted XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner; Salah, Mane, Firmino.

3. Stamford Bridge factor

Liverpool have not beaten Chelsea at Anfield since 2012, but the story is slightly different at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool did lose last season at the Bridge, but they were involved in the latter stages of the Champions League knockout stages which impacted their performance when they met.

Prior to that, the Reds had won on their last two trips to London under Klopp, leaving the German with two wins and one loss from the three trips he has made as Liverpool manager.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Jordan Henderson of Liverpool (14) celebrates with team mates as he scores their second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

He knows how to beat the Blues on their own patch.

4. Mohamed Salah

There is no denying that the Egyptian has not quite been at his best this season. He still has three goals next to his name in all competitions for the Reds this season, but he has not looked as threatening as he was last season.

Despite this being the case, we will see the best of Salah again. There has been glimpses of the Salah from the season before, but hopefully against Chelsea on Saturday we see more than that.

If there were a game to play yourself back into form, then this would be the one. He has an opportunity to show his former club again what they could have had. I am backing Salah to fire in this game and put an end to the speculation regarding whether we will see the Egyptian of last season again.

5. Eden Hazard

Not that anyone really needed any reminding when it comes to the quality of the Belgian, but he has certainly put the whole Liverpool defence on notice after his stunning solo effort midweek.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 26: Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates after he scores his sides second goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on September 26, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

He is one of the best players in the league, and one does get the feeling that the result could depend on how well Liverpool nullify Hazard. West Ham United did a decent job of it in the Premier League last weekend, but Liverpool will not be defending as deep as the Hammers did.

Concentration levels will need to be at their best if Liverpool want to eliminate Hazard’s impact on the game.

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