Chelsea v Liverpool: Premier League - live

“On the subject of Florian Wirtz, for anyone who hasn’t seen, Sky has just posted a lovely collection of interviews with some of his former friends and coaches,” writes Maximilian Sanderson. “Here in Germany he is loved and memed in almost equal measure (the latter affectionately so, and mostly thanks to his viral potato ranking video during the Euros), so I didn’t fully know what to expect, but he seems like a genuinely decent guy with a good support network around him. He might not be starting tonight but I reckon it won’t be long before the goals start to flow...”

If he’s so good, why didn’t he score 44 goals in his first five games? Eh?

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Updated at 12.14 EDT

A Liverpool fan writes

“Having spent nearly f-o-u-r hours making the one-hour journey to my mother-in-law’s, I’m not in the best of moods,” chirps Matt Dony. “Thanks, M4 closures. Big help. Nothing quite like crawling through Port Talbot at below walking pace.

“Anyway. If this was last year, I’d have been fairly confident. Well, not confident exactly. I don’t think I’ve ever been genuinely confident before a football match. But I’d have been a lot more relaxed than I am now. The late goals have been tremendous fun, but wildly unsustainable. The performances have had their moments, but we’re still in the waiting-to-click phase.

“You never wish ill on players, but I’m relieved to be facing Chelsea minus Cole Palmer. Even so, I’m not counting on still being top of the league in a few hours time. And on Wirtz being benched; It’s the earliest of early days. He’s an astonishingly talented footballer, and I liked everything I saw of him last season. Still, I can’t help but remember watching Naby Keita tear it up for Leipzig…”

On Wirtz, the Pires Principle dictates that any judgement on creative players who are new to English football should be deferred until their second season.

Emphasis on ‘should’, because there is overwhelming evidence to suggest we’ve all gone completely mad.

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Updated at 12.06 EDT

Team news: Wirtz on the bench

The teenager Josh Acheampong replaces the suspended Trevoh Chalobah in the Chelsea defence. That’s one of four changes from the side that started last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton. Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto and Alejandro Garnacho come in for Jarrel Hato, Andrey Santos (who is injured) and Estevao. That means Reece James is likely to start in midfield.

Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was probably the best goalkeeper at Euro 2024, deputises for the injured Alisson. Arene Slot makes one other change, with Cody Gakpo preferred to Florian Wirtz in attack. Wirtz is part of a formidable Liverpool subs bench.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Neto, Enzo, Garnacho; Joao Pedro.

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Slonina, Hato, Lavia, Emenalo, Buonanotte, Estevao, Gittens, Guiu.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Isak, Gakpo.

Substitutes: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Wirtz, Chiesa, Jones, Ekitike, Robertson, Frimpong.

Referee Anthony Taylor.

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Updated at 12.07 EDT

Preamble

The world champions meet the English champions at Stamford Bridge tonight, but nobody will be talking about the glories of the recent past. Chelsea and Liverpool are both in contention for the Premier League Crisis Baton™ – passed each week to the team that a hysterical media deems to be in crisis – after suffering a dip in form towards the end of September.

Chelsea have taken only one point from their last three Premier League games. Liverpool have lost their last two in all competitions and didn’t even play that well in the seven straight wins before that.

In times of trouble, tough games are a mixed blessing. Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot know that, if they win tonight, the negative chatter will stop just like that. But if they lose, the external noise will be amplified.

Kick off 5.30pm.

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Updated at 12.00 EDT

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