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Who: Chelsea vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Stamford Bridge successful London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday, October 3, astatine 5:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up connected Al Jazeera Sport from 11:15 GMT successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.
Premier League champions Liverpool question to Chelsea aft a uncommon barren tally nether Arne Slot.
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The Dutchman led the Reds to their record-equalling rubric triumph past play – his archetypal since replacing the fashionable Jurgen Klopp – but a caller blip has led to questions arsenic to whether the club’s modulation betwixt managers volition beryllium much noticeable this term.
Chelsea, meantime, are hoping to physique connected their FIFA Club World Cup triumph earlier this year, but person not had the smoothest commencement to the play themselves.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine the prime of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.
What is Chelsea’s instrumentality connected the sojourn of Liverpool?
Liverpool’s back-to-back losses implicit the past week person shown that they are vulnerable, but that volition not marque this weekend’s Premier League clash with the champions immoderate easier for Chelsea, the London-based club’s manager Enzo Maresca said connected Friday.
Leaders Liverpool started the league run with 5 consecutive wins but mislaid astatine Crystal Palace past Saturday, earlier a decision distant to Galatasaray successful the Champions League connected Tuesday.
Chelsea, who person mislaid their past 2 games successful the top-flight and beryllium eighth successful the table, 7 points adrift of Liverpool, volition look to physique connected the momentum from Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League triumph implicit Benfica astatine Stamford Bridge.
“There is simply a vulnerability astir immoderate squad successful the world, not conscionable Liverpool. But if a squad wins each game, it is intolerable to drawback them. Now, they mislaid 1 oregon 2 games. That shows vulnerability,” Maresca told a quality league earlier Saturday’s location game.
“I don’t deliberation present it is amended to play Liverpool. It is ever a pugnacious game, ever a large team.”
Do Chelsea person a disciplinary problem?
Red cards person plagued Chelsea, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez dismissed 5 minutes into the 2-1 decision astatine Manchester United and Trevoh Chalobah being sent disconnected successful past weekend’s 3-1 nonaccomplishment to visiting Brighton & Hove Albion.
“Most of the games we didn’t get the points were due to the fact that of the reddish cards. Also, the wounded situation, we person 8 players out. It’s a mixed combination, but we don’t person immoderate uncertainty that dilatory we volition beryllium again wherever we request to be,” Maresca said.
Has Chelsea’s blip amazed Maresca?
The Italian, who has led Chelsea to the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup trophies this year, said helium had enjoyed the commencement to the 2025-26 play contempt the struggles.
“It’s normal. I americium not thinking, [being] the Chelsea manager, everything is ever going to beryllium successful place. You request to adjust, you request to evolve,” helium added.
“I see [Liverpool] the champion squad successful England astatine the infinitesimal due to the fact that they person shown that, and they won the Premier League. We are improving and trying to lick problems. For sure, successful the end, we volition beryllium determination and close.”
Alisson's wounded means helium volition miss @LFC's sojourn to Chelsea connected Saturday 🤕
What bash you announcement astir Liverpool's grounds with and without the Brazilian goalkeeper? pic.twitter.com/CUjImBTlvw
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 2, 2025
Alisson wounded stroke hits Liverpool
Liverpool manager Arne Slot already said Alisson would miss the league lucifer astatine Chelsea, pursuing his wounded successful the decision astatine Galatasaray successful midweek, but confirmed connected Friday that the keeper would not beryllium joining up with Brazil for its friendlies against South Korea connected October 10 and Japan 4 days later.
Asked for a timescale for Alisson’s absence, Slot said, “It depends connected however accelerated the betterment goes. It’s wide not Saturday, he’s not going to play for Brazil, and I would beryllium amazed if he’d beryllium determination for the archetypal crippled aft the planetary interruption [against United astatine Anfield connected October 19].
“From determination on, things tin spell a spot faster oregon a spot slower. It’s ever hard to say.”
It means Georgia planetary Giorgi Mamardashvili volition get a tally successful the archetypal squad aft joining connected a full-time ground from Valencia during the offseason.
What is Liverpool’s instrumentality connected their signifier earlier Chelsea match
Liverpool is coming disconnected back-to-back defeats nether Slot for conscionable the 2nd clip since helium arrived successful the summertime of 2024.
Slot said helium saw opponents commencement to enactment retired Liverpool’s benignant of play nether him successful the 2nd fractional of past play – erstwhile the squad was already good connected its mode to winning the Premier League rubric – and that it has continued into this campaign.
Liverpool is besides trying to gel aft a $570m spending spree connected caller players successful the summertime transportation window, with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak adjusting to beingness astatine their caller club.
Slot suggested Liverpool volition commencement turning to being much businesslike astatine acceptable pieces – an attack helium called the “new reality” successful the Premier League – to interruption down opponents.
“Jurgen gave maine a batch of gifts, but 1 of the gifts helium gave maine was [finishing] 3rd the twelvemonth earlier and 5th the twelvemonth earlier that, and him being truthful good known that a caller manager came successful and everybody thought, ‘OK, let’s commencement to play against Liverpool,’” Slot said.
“Teams played successful a wholly antithetic mode successful the archetypal fractional of the play against america than they did erstwhile we were apical of the league aft fractional the play and apical of the Champions League. I tin spot this going into this portion of this season. We person to find answers to that, and past season, 1 of the answers was the acceptable piece. Like galore teams, we person to unlock debased blocks with acceptable pieces and this play we haven’t done that — yet.”
What happened the past clip Chelsea met Liverpool
Chelsea won the past gathering betwixt the clubs 3-1 successful a Premier League gathering astatine Stamford Bridge connected May 4.
Enzo Fernandez and a Jarell Quansah ain extremity enactment the Blues 2 up by the break. Virgil van Dijk pulled 1 backmost for the Reds successful the 85th infinitesimal to acceptable up a choky decorativeness earlier Cole Palmer’s 90th-minute punishment settled matters.
Head-to-head
This is the 199th gathering betwixt the clubs, with Liverpool winning 83 times and Chelsea winning 66.
Chelsea won successful the past gathering betwixt the sides ended a ten-game tally without a triumph against Liverpool, of which the Reds won three.
Chelsea squad news
Chelsea are missing injured defenders Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo, arsenic good arsenic antiaircraft midfielder Dario Essugo, who had thigh country past month.
“In this moment, I deliberation we person 4 oregon 5 defenders out. We are going to effort and accommodate and find the close solution for tomorrow,” Maresca said.
Forward Liam Delap and midfielders Cole Palmer and Andrey Santos are besides retired with injuries.
Trevor Chalobah is suspended for the crippled pursuing his sending disconnected astatine Brighton, but Pedro’s sending disconnected successful midweek does not impact his participation.
Liverpool squad news
Alisson was 1 of 2 casualties of the Reds’ midweek nonaccomplishment alongside Hugo Ekitike, but helium has not been afloat ruled retired with his thigh problem.
Federico Chiesa whitethorn instrumentality from a niggle, but Giovanni Leoni remains a semipermanent absentee with his ACL injury.
Chelsea predicted starting lineup
Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Estevao, Buonanotte, Neto; Pedro
Liverpool imaginable starting lineup
Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Isak
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