09 February 2008

Chelsea v Liverpool 11.55pm 10 Feb 2008

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard (thigh) may return and centre-back Ricardo Carvalho is back after a ban.
Andriy Shevchenko (back) and John Terry (foot) are again out, while Mikel John Obi should be available after Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Liverpool will be without striker Fernando Torres (hamstring) along Andriy Voronin, Fabio Aurelio, Alvaro Arbeloa and Daniel Agger.
Xabi Alonso is suspended and Ryan Babel is a doubt with an ankle injury.
Chelsea (from): Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Belletti, Carvalho, Ben-Haim, Alex, A Cole, Bridge, Ivanovic, Lampard, Makelele, Obi, J Cole, Wright-Phillips, Anelka, Pizarro, Malouda, Ballack, Sidwell.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Skrtel, Riise, Pennant, Mascherano, Gerrard, Babel, Benayoun, Kewell, Lucas, Crouch, Kuyt, Itandje.
Chelsea boss Avram Grant on the Blues' long unbeaten home record: "Any record is good. Most of the time it is very positive but sometimes it affects you because you are afraid to lose.
"I think it will be a difficult game. When the two clubs play against each other you always think about something from the past.
"Of course I don't have a problem with Liverpool, my only concern is that Chelsea will succeed."
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez: "Dirk Kuyt will probably be involved. It will not be rotation now, but something I will have to do.
"I have no problems with Kuyt. He is a fantastic professional, a worker, so he does an important job for the team.
"There maybe is a problem with confidence, but if we create better chances he will score."
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BIG-MATCH FACTS
The 150th major competitive meeting of Chelsea and Liverpool gives either side an opportunity to register their first Premier League win of the season against a fellow "Big Four" club.
The Carling Cup finalists missed out on a club record 10th straight victory in all competitions, and lost ground in the title race when held to a 1-1 draw by Portsmouth at Fratton Park last weekend. They are still unbeaten in eight Premier League matches, and in 75 at the Bridge; an amazing run that was started this month four years ago.
Liverpool lie 11 points behind Chelsea, despite scoring two more goals (40 to 38) and conceding the same (17).
The Reds finished third last season, but 21 points behind champions Manchester United. They're already 17 points off the pace, and are involved in a four-way fight for a top four berth. They did however, end their worst league run under Rafa Benitez with an emphatic 3-0 victory over struggling Sunderland last weekend.
This is Avram Grant's 20th Premier League match in charge. Chelsea have won 13 of the 19 under him (68%) and gained 43 of 57 points (75%); Liverpool have won 73 of 138 league matches under Benitez (53%) and picked up 251 of 414 points (61%).
These clubs have met 17 times since the start of the 2004-05 season; Chelsea have won eight, lost five with four drawn. They have already played each other twice this season; the league game at Anfield was a 1-1 draw and Chelsea won the Carling Cup quarter-final 2-0 at Stamford Bridge with goals from Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko.
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CLUB FORM
CHELSEA
Club stats
Fixtures (all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures)
1. Undefeated in 13 in all competitions; lost one of the last 30 league and cup matches.
2. Won six and drawn two of the last eight in the Premier League, since losing 1-0, away to Arsenal on 16 December.
3. Won 16 Premier League matches; only Manchester United and Arsenal have won more (18 each). Also, dropped 21 points in the top division; only Manchester United (17) and Arsenal (15) have dropped fewer.
4. Three goals short of conceding 600 in the Premier League all-time. Let in 17 so far this season, at one every 132 minutes (two hours 12 minutes) on average; only Manchester United (12) have a tighter defence.
5. Kept 14 clean sheets in the highest league; only the Red Devils surpass that with 15.
6. Won three Premier League games from losing positions; only Arsenal and Blackburn have won more matches in which they were trailing (four each).
7. Collected 50 cards, of which five were red in Premier League competition; only Blackburn and Fulham have also had five players sent off. Only the players of Middlesbrough and Blackburn have been shown a higher total number of cards in the Premier League; 54 and 56 respectively.
8. Already equalled the number of league defeats suffered last season (three); and the number of times their opponents have scored first (eight). Also failed to score in one more game than last term (five this season, four in the whole of 2006-07).
9. Won 41 and drawn 15 of 56 at home in all competitions since the 1-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on 22 February 2006. Not lost a league game at the Bridge since the 1-2 reverse to Arsenal on 21 February 2004 (won 56, drawn 19). Not lost in 94 domestic matches in front of the home faithful if penalty shoot-outs are excluded, since the defeat to Arsenal 48 months ago.
10. After this, League One Huddersfield visit the Bridge for their fifth round clash in the FA Cup, then it's the resumption of the Champions League, away to Olympiakos, and the Carling Cup final, against Tottenham at Wembley.
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LIVERPOOL
Club stats
Fixtures (all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures)
1. Avoided defeat in 10 of the last 11 league and cup games.
2. Followed a run of four draws and one loss in five Premier League matches, with last weekend's 3-0 victory over Sunderland at Anfield.
3. The Premier League's joint draw specialists with Fulham; both have finished level on 10 occasions.
4. Lost just three Premier League games; only Arsenal have been beaten less often (once). Also, conceded 17 Premier League goals from 24 games at one every 127 minutes (two hours seven minutes); only Manchester United (12 conceded) and Chelsea (17 from 25 matches) have tighter defences.
5. Picked up 31 cards in Premier League competition (all yellow); only Everton have a smaller tally (39, three red and 27 yellow).
6. Their 24 matches have yielded 57 goals (40 for, 17 against); only West Ham's (51) and Chelsea's (55) matches have produced fewer goals.
7. Hold the third strongest away record in the Premier League (22 points), behind Chelsea (26) and Arsenal (25), and boast the meanest defence away from home; conceded just eight goals in 12 games on their Premier League travels.
8. After this follow three home games; against Barnsley in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Inter Milan in the Champions League, and Middlesbrough in the Premier League.

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KEY PLAYER NOTES
CHELSEA
Nicolas ANELKA is the highest scoring player in the Chelsea squad with 13 goals, but 11 of those were for Bolton.
Didier DROGBA and Frank LAMPARD are the top scorers of Chelsea goals with nine each.
DROGBA, LAMPARD and Salomon KALOU are the clubs' joint leading marksmen in the Premier League, with five goals each. (ANELKA scored 10 for Bolton and has got one for Chelsea.)
LAMPARD is one shy of 100 goals for Chelsea.
DROGBA is a hat-trick short of 50 Premier League goals in Chelsea colours.
If selected:-
ANELKA will be facing a club he was once on loan to, when on Real Madrid's books. The 28 year old France international made 22 appearances (20 in the league) and scored five goals (four league) for Liverpool between December 2001 and May 2005.
(When fit), LAMPARD will be making his 550th club career appearance (West Ham, Swansea and Chelsea).
If on the field from the outset:-
Michael BALLACK will be making his 50th appearance in a Chelsea shirt.

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LIVERPOOL
Fernando TORRES is Liverpool's top scorer with 18 goals, and their leading marksman in the Premier League with 12.
Goalkeeper Jose REINA is the only remaining player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Liverpool's Premier League matches this season.

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HEAD TO HEAD
Chelsea have won 10 of the last 11 home Premier League matches against Liverpool, including the last three.
Liverpool's only points from a last possible 33 at Stamford Bridge came from a 0-1 victory on 7 January 2004, when Bruno Cheyrou scored the only goal of the game.
Home and awayLeague (inc PL): Chelsea 44 wins, Liverpool 58, Draws 27Prem: Chelsea 14 wins, Liverpool 11, Draws 6
at Chelsea onlyLeague (inc PL): Chelsea 36 wins, Liverpool 15, Draws 13Prem: Chelsea 11 wins, Liverpool 1, Draws 3

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LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool17 September 2006 - Ref: Mike RileyChelsea scorer: Drogba 42Sent Off: Ballack (Chelsea) 51
THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea19 August 2007 - Ref: Rob Styles Liverpool scorer: Torres 16Chelsea scorer: Lampard 62 pen

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