ANFIELD ON FIRE, AS CHELSEA GOES FOR LIVERPOOL’S JUGULAR

By NBF News

Over the years, every encounter involving Liverpool and Chelsea had ended a cracker. But that tradition appears to have waned since Liverpool retreated to the backseat.

Last season for instance, the Blues emphatically dominated the Reds, triumphing 2-0 home and away in their two Premiership meetings.

And as things stand, analysts fear that tomorrow's Anfield duel between the duo might end up a one-sided affair, although in football nothing is impossible.

Soar away Chelsea, expectedly, will roll out all its attacking option under the sun to win and further tighten its grip on the Premiership table. With 25 points in the bag, five better than second-placed Arsenal, Carlo Ancelotti and his men look good to throw everything into the encounter to maintain their dominance over Liverpool when both side meet to extend their rivalry.

Even without the services of some key players, Chelsea, unarguably the Premiership team of the moment, is poised to grind out sweet victory as it still has a good deal of Championship fire in its system after Wednesday's outing against Spartak Moscow.

This is one match Joe Cole will not be happy to miss, as he could have used the opportunity it would provide to prove to Ancelotti that he still possesses incredible power to sting. But he remains ruled out by injury.

However, manager Roy Hodgson would be glad to see his key men, Stephen Gerarrd, Dirk Kuyt, Fernando Torres produce the spark that could consume the Blues.

The Liverpool side needs the match to maintain the tempo of its upward march out of the trouble zone. The slim 1-0 away victory it recorded over Bolton at the weekend added great impetus to its quest to reclaim a respectable position in the top-flight.