Chelsea FC visit Anfield this evening to take on Liverpool. As we close in on kick-off, Jurgen Klopp and Guus Hiddink have confirmed their starting elevens.
The Premier League is under a week from its conclusion and this evening sees Chelsea FC and Liverpool do battle at Anfield. It’s a game in which neither team has much to play for, but it should be entertaining nonetheless. Here are the team selections from Guus Hiddink and Jurgen Klopp.
Confirmed #LFC subs v @ChelseaFC: Bogdan, Skrtel, Smith, Lucas, Allen, Ojo, Benteke.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 11, 2016
Chelsea subs today: Amelia, Tomori, Kenedy, Loftus-Cheek, Palmer, Pato, Abraham. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 11, 2016
It’s a reshuffled team from the one that lost to Sunderland a few days ago, with four changes made. Asmir Begovic is given another game between the posts as Thibaut Courtois drops out of the squad entirely. The Bosnian will be eager to remind Blues management (and potential suitors) that he is of sufficient quality to be a Premier League goalkeeper.
An injury to Branislav Ivanovic allows Cesar Azpilicueta to move over to his natural right-back slot. Baba Rahman is brought in to fill the gap on the opposing flank and after some disappointing performances in Chelsea blue he has a lot to prove.
Meanwhile, in another indication of the low level of faith in Matt Miazga, John Obi Mikel is picked as the man to replace John Terry at the heart of the defence. It will not be overly surprising if the American is shipped off, either on loan or permanently, over the summer.
Mikel’s move from the midfield means that Cesc Fabregas can play in the deeper role. He looks infinitely more comfortable in this position and should be well poised to pick apart Liverpool’s defence.
Up front, Diego Costa has been ruled out for the rest of the season and Bertrand Traore has taken his place this evening. This was the selection that most fans wanted to see and after impressing in the role previously, all eyes will be on the youngster.
The bench is particularly interesting for the Blues as Hiddink has loaded it with youth players. Supporters will be eager to see Tammy Abraham get some minutes, while Fikayo Tomori and Kasey Palmer could also be afforded a debut.
On the other side, Jurgen Klopp makes a whopping eight changes to the team that beat Watford 2-0. He is fielding a significantly stronger side, suggesting that the game is still high-profile in his mind. The hosts’ bench leaves a lot to be desired, though.
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What do you think of the teams? Who do you want to see coming off the Chelsea bench? Sound off in the comments below!