Chelsea vs. Liverpool - Match Preview

Chelsea welcome their modern day rivals, Liverpool, to Stamford Bridge for what promises to be a fiery affair. It has been a week fuelled by media attention for both team€™s key strikers, as Fernando Torres faces his former club for only the second time since leaving for £50million and Luis Suarez has been charged for an alleged racist comment made to Patrice Evra. Torres, who spoke out again about his €˜deeper€™ reasons for leaving his former club, just days before his encounter with them, admitted that life on Merseyside was far more comfortable than in London. His former teammates and fans will be hoping to make life a lot less comfy for him come Sunday afternoon, when the rivalry between these two teams will create a tense atmosphere at the Bridge. Since leaving Liverpool, Torres has played his old team once, losing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in February, and has only managed three league goals in his time wearing a blue shirt. The boo-boys from the North West will be out in force, not just to target their former number nine, but no doubt Raul Meireles will be in for some jeers as he faces his former employers for the first time since his unexpected move in the summer. John Terry will be hoping that the attention given to both Torres and Meireles will take some of the limelight away from him, given his recent racial slurs to QPR€™s Anton Ferdinand. Another man accused of racism and charged by the FA this week, is Liverpool€™s new Kop hero, Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan, who is in scintillating form of late, scored four in one match for his country in his last run out. Suarez will be focusing on finding the net and making sure his name appears on the back pages of the papers for the right reasons next week, rather than the wrong. Numerous defences have tried to deal with the problems caused by Suarez and many have failed to keep him quiet. Are the allegations against the feisty number seven true, or having seen him light up the league this season, is it a scheming ploy by Ferguson and Evra to damage his moral? Surely if Suarez€™s charges from the FA stand, then Terry will find himself in the same position, as there seems to be rather more public evidence against the Chelsea defender. Controversy aside, this fixture has scarcely disappointed. Chelsea fans will still be bitter about Luis Garcia€™s goal that knocked them out of the Champions League, whether it crossed the line or not, Liverpool then went on to be crowned Champions of Europe for the fifth time, a feat that Chelsea are yet to experience in their history. As it stands, only three points separate the two teams in the table and a win for Liverpool would bring them level with the Londoners. Chelsea, with the exception of Michael Essien, expect to have a fully fit squad ahead of the match, with Didier Drogba set to make a comeback and Daniel Sturridge is likely to shake of a knock suffered in training. The good news for Chelsea is Steven Gerrard will be absent yet again for Liverpool, as the Red€™s skipper is still working his way back to full fitness after an ankle infection. A consolation for Liverpool, however, as their vice-captain Jamie Carragher, is expected to be in contention for a starting place against the Blues. The lethal Luis Suarez is also likely to retain his starting position in the Liverpool 11, after being rested in Uruguay€™s last game with a minor back injury. Andre Villas-Boas will be hoping his side can avoid losing more ground on the league leaders, Manchester City, who are Liverpool€™s next opponents after the Blues of London. Liverpool boss, Kenny Dalglish, will be hoping his side can capitalise on the amount of chances they create and to convert their chances. With Roberto Mancini€™s men up next weekend, Liverpool ideally need to get a victory at the Bridge to stay in contention of a top four finish. Predicted Lineups:Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Ramires, Mikel, Mata, Sturridge, Torres. Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Adam, Downing, Henderson, Kuyt, Suarez. Chelsea vs. Liverpool, live on Sky Sports 1/HD1. Kick-off 4pm, 20th November 2011.