Matches of the Week: Chelsea vs. Liverpool - a podcast by noreply@blogger.com (The Hat Trick)

As we approach the January transfer window, both Chelsea and Liverpool will be looking to cement their positions as potential title contenders. The fixture will be played on November 25, with both teams coming off a midweek Champions League match. Last season, Chelsea, despite winning the title comfortably, didn't defeat Liverpool. They were held to a 2-1 loss in last September and a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Antonio Conte's side will be looking to defend their Premier League title and become the first team since Manchester United in 2007 and 2008 to repeat as Premier League champions. Jurgen Klopp's newly revamped Liverpool are looking to improve upon their fourth place finish last season and hopefully win the title for the first time since 1990.

Following an outstanding 3-0 win against Southampton, Liverpool's new star Mohammad Salah will be a major threat to Chelsea's backline, with an even bigger incentive to do well against his former club. Liverpool, typically, has been running a defensive 4-2-3-1 formation, with stars Salah and Mané running along the wings. Coutinho and Firmino will be expected to start as well, Coutinho playing the attacking, creative role and Firmino, the target man. As for their defense, Liverpool has always been shaky. Defender Joel Matip didn't play in the Southampton fixture last week, but Manager Jurgen Klopp says he has a "big chance" of playing against the Blues Saturday. In front of regular starter Mignolet, we expect Dejan Lovren as the second center-back, with Alberto Moreno the replacement if Matip is ruled out. The outside wing-backs will be important in determining Liverpool's success against Chelsea, with youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold playing on the right and Ragnar Klavan on the left. These two will have a lot of work to do, as Salah and Mané won't be playing as defensively. Overall, Liverpool seems to have an overwhelming amount of tracking players, with their defense lacking quality compared to other top-flight sides.

Taking a look at the defending champions, number 10 star Eden Hazard and midfielder number 7 N'Golo Kante will be looking to lead the Blues to a fifth straight Premier League win. Antonio Conte has again surprised the Premier League with his tactical prowess, leaning away from last season's defensive 5-2-3 and offensive 3-4-3, highlighting the use of versatile wing-backs Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses. This season, we see Conte using midfielder Kante as a sweeper and defensively-minded player instead of the normal box-to-box type player that devastated Premier League teams last season. The Italian manager will for sure be using new signing Alvaro Morata as the side's starting striker. We saw last match against West Brom, the Blues using Eden Hazard with Morata as a striker duo, reeking havoc on West Brom. Following the partnership up top, we can expect Chelsea midfielders Cesc Fábregas and Tiemoué Bakayoko to hold the central position on the pitch. The Blues are following a 3-1-4-2 formation, again with wing-backs Alonso and summer-signing Davide Zappacosta running up and down the wings. Following the home loss to league leaders Manchester City, defender David Luiz has been an outcast in recent fixtures. The side seems to be doing remarkably well with youngster Andreas Christensen playing as the central defender with captain Cahill and César Azpilicuelta on either side of him, helping secure lose balls. Overall, the Blues have a very creative attacking mindset with the likes of Hazard and Morata and superb midfield discipline with Bakayoko and Kante to shield off any trouble that might come Thibaut Courtoius' way.

It is obvious to see that both of these teams have lots of quality, especially with current highest goalscorer Mohammed Salah and last season's player of the season N'Golo Kante and manager of the season Antonio Conte. However, upon looking at each team's defensive unit, the separation between the likes of an unhealthy Joel Matip and newly rejuvenated Andreas Christensen, it is clear that Chelsea should be considered the favorites for this match-up. We are predicting this six-point game will end in favor of the Blues, with a scoreline 2-1, with attacking stars Salah and Hazard leading the charge as potential Man of the Match.

Hopefully, you guys are as excited as we are about this fixture. We will be talking about the end result Sunday, with our first "Premier League Sum-Up" expected to be published.

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