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2021/22 English Premier League
Matchday 21 of 38
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Sunday, 02 January 2022
Kick-off is at 17:30
Chelsea and Liverpool will meet in a heavyweight 2021/22 English
Premier League tussle on Sunday, 02 January 2022.
Image copyright: Getty Images
The encounter could set the tone for the remainder of the season as the two teams aim to keep up with defending champions Manchester City.
Covid-19 continues to cause significant disruptions and Chelsea have been among the teams most affected by the Omicron wave. This has coincided with back-to-back draws heading into Christmas which saw them fall six points behind City in first.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel will question why their Boxing Day clash wasn't postponed when Liverpool's was and the German has expressed his concern about the ramifications of having to rush players back from injury due to a shortage of playing personnel.
"I understand everybody when they say look they have still 14 players but if you look a bit more into detail ... you see Trevoh Chalobah with two training sessions, you see Mateo Kovacic one training session, N'Golo Kante one training session.
"We were putting a huge risk of health and safety to the players, also physically, not only from Covid," Tuchel said mid-December.
Jurgen Klopp has been critical of the fixture congestion over the Festive Season and questioned why his team were scheduled to play two games within three days, before having their Boxing Day match against Leeds United postponed.
The Reds went into Christmas on a seven-game unbeaten run and in second spot on the league standings, three points behind City.
"I have no problem with the Christmas games, Boxing Day is a wonderful game. Nobody wants to cancel that. Just 26th and 28th is absolutely impossible. It's a joke that they still do it. No problem to play on the 26th and 29th," Klopp said.
"People can say they earn so much, it's nothing to do with that. We can play 26th and 29th but it's really dangerous for the players. They say that's what a squad is for, but everybody expects to win.
"We cannot just mix it through, there are maybe two teams when everyone is fit, but Chelsea is not fit now, City might have the squad for two games, 11 players and go through the Premier League. But other teams cannot do that. It's really tricky and that's the problem," he added.
Liverpool and Chelsea will not only have to navigate the challenges of Covid, but also the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations which will rule Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita (all Liverpool) and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy out of club action for up to six weeks. Blues playmaker Hakim Ziyech will be available after he was left out of Morocco's squad.
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The reverse fixture between Chelsea and Liverpool at Anfield earlier this season ended in a 1-1 draw. Kai Havertz opened the scoring before Mohamed Salah leveled matters from the penalty spot after the visitors had Reece James sent off on the cusp of half-time.
Chelsea vs Liverpool head-to-head statistics:
Matches played: 179
Chelsea wins: 61
Liverpool wins: 76
Draws: 42
English Premier League fixtures, matchday 21:
Saturday, 01 January
13:30 - Arsenal vs Manchester City
16:00 - Leicester City vs Norwich City
16:00 - Watford vs Tottenham Hotspur
18:30 - Crystal Palace vs West Ham United
Sunday, 02 January
15:00 - Brentford vs Aston Villa
15:00 - Southampton vs Newcastle United
15:00 - Leeds United vs Burnley
15:00 - Everton vs Brighton & Hove Albion
17:30 - Chelsea vs Liverpool
Monday, 03 January
18:30 - Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
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