Chelsea vs Liverpool predicted XI: 3-5-2 makes long-awaited return

Manchester City’s win over Arsenal on New Year’s Day means the Citizens currently sit 11 points above Chelsea in second place on the Premier League table. This means the Blues’ bout with the visiting Reds of Liverpool on Sunday is a crucial six-pointer in not only the race for the title, but also the top four. Jurgen Klopp’s men—well, the Liverpool squad that’ll be managed by Pep Lijnders after the German returned a positive COVID test—need a win just as bad as the Blues do. While Chelsea may be in a similar spot that the Reds were last season in terms of injuries, so it has a natural excuse for recent struggles, things don’t look much better in the Liverpool side. The Reds have a few players with Coronavirus and a handful of injuries. In the grand scheme of things, this is a battle between two fantastic teams who are simply struggling to stay afloat right now.

No matter the circumstances, Pep Guardiola’s men are absolutely ruthless. Teams who drop points have no shot at catching the defending champions, so the loser of this match is likely out of the title race midway through the season. Chelsea needs all three points against Liverpool after Brighton took points home with it midweek. It’s a huge test for the Blues whose backs are up against the wall and the season hangs in the balance.

Here is The Pride of London‘s predicted XI for the Liverpool match:

Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal

This is the last chance Edouard Mendy will have at starting in goal for Chelsea for some time. He leaves for the African Cup of Nations on January 3 where he will spend a few weeks before returning to the club. Mendy will miss some of the Blues’ most important matches of the season in his absence, but they will be in good hands with Kepa Arrizabalaga for the time being. Nevertheless, Mendy is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League when he is wearing the blue of Chelsea. For this reason, he starts every match in which he is fit, no questions asked.

Trevoh Chalobah (No. 14) Right centerback, England

Trevoh Chalobah—like many other players in the Chelsea camp—has been in and out of the team recently. Injuries have taken their toll on just about everyone along the back line and Chalobah is no different. He was partially responsible for Danny Welbeck’s 91′ equalizer midweek, but that’s really the only foot he’s put wrong since breaking into the first team. Cesar Azpilicueta’s services could be required at right wingback in Reece James’ absence, so it’d be best for Tuchel to start Chalobah along the back line when the club captain is elsewhere or on the bench.

Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil

I wasn’t in the minority when I said that Thiago Silva could be relegated to a lesser role this season at the beginning of the year. On the back of Andreas Christensen’s superb 2020/21 campaign, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to many to see the Dane establish a place in the starting XI. Nevertheless, I was in the wrong for assuming. Silva has played some of his best football of his career this season for the Blues, despite being 37 years of age. Silva gives Chelsea the best chance to win due to his adept reading of the game and flawless positioning. He starts for those reasons.

Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Left centerback, Germany

Antonio Rudiger was arguably the Blues’ best player in 2021. No matter his contract situation, he’s the team’s best left centerback by some margin. It’s not close either. Do you need any more reasons than the ones I already provided?