Chelsea vs. Liverpool: 3 Key Battles That Could Decide This Epic Clash

Chelsea vs. Liverpool: 3 Key Battles

The tie might seem like a dead rubber with Chelsea having won the Premier League title and Liverpool assured of Europa League football. The Reds still have a slim chance of making it into the top 4 but they would need Manchester United to slip up badly in the last 3 games and they would have to win all the games to have any chance of doing the deed.

The game would be the last time Gerrard plays against Chelsea in the red of Liverpool, Chelsea and Mourinho came out with praise for Gerrard and they tried their level best in signing him in 2005, but the Champions League win for Liverpool made sure that Gerrard stayed a red throughout his career, well until now. He might have won a lot more titles had he shifted his allegiance, but that is a story for some other dimension.

The game would probably be having a carnival like atmosphere with Chelsea celebrating their league win and we look at 3 key battles in the game.

1. Hazard vs. Coutinho

Hazard

Two players who have shone for their respective teams this season, Hazard has really set the Premier League alight with his brilliant performances for Chelsea while Coutinho has done the same for Liverpool which has earned him a call-up for the Brazilian national team to take part in the Copa America at the end of the season.

Two gifted individuals who seem to be at the peak of their games, well at least Hazard is and Coutinho would have to step up his game if he wants to usurp the Belgian on this big day for Chelsea.

2. Courtois vs. Mignolet

Two young Belgian goalkeepers go head to head to see who is the better player, Mignolet might have had a rocky season at the start but he leads the Premier League in clean sheets while Courtois has been solid as a rock for Chelsea though he did have a bit of a crisis with a few major errors in the blue of Chelsea.

The battle could decide just who becomes Belgium’s number one goalkeeper for the foreseeable future and frankly, if Mignolet wins the golden glove it would be some feat in a rather poor season for the Reds.

3. Fabregas vs. Gerrard

Gerrard

The two assist leaders from the current and last season, their tales are somewhat similar with Fabregas coming into the club and being a bit of a villain by joining Chelsea from Barcelona after having played for Arsenal. Gerrard isn’t a villain, but he will have memories of that fateful game against Chelsea last season where everything unravelled for him and Liverpool.

A victory on Sunday for Gerrard will never erase the pain of the slip but it will let him leave Stamford Bridge with some sense of revenge, even if it means very little in the grand scheme of things.