The fixture involving Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge was due to take place way back in September before it was postponed, and everyone’s been waiting with bated breath since for a new date to be established. Well, finally, the wait is over, as the Premier League have found room for it on the calendar, but it’s still some way off.
Chelsea will entertain Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on April 4, believe it or not, which is still some weeks away, and it’s not going to be ideal for either team in the grand scheme of things to have to play the fixture in the run-up to the close of the campaign. While the news will add excitement to the league and probably will help increase interest in football fans looking at opportunities in EPL betting markets online because there will be less than ten games remaining of the season, the fixture pile-up could be detrimental.
The reality now, and more than likely when the fixture is played, is both teams have endured incredibly disappointing campaigns. Chelsea have changed ownership, and it’s been all change in the dugout too, and pressure is mounting on Graham Potter, the man in situ, because of poor results and dreadful performances. They’re way off the pace in terms of qualifying for European football for next term too, which won’t help the club financially in the long run.
It’s not been much better for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, either. They were once again expected to be rivalling Manchester City for the Premier League title, and they currently find themselves attempting to claw back ground to find their way into fourth place. It’s probably the best they can hope for this season. If they were somehow able to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League, they would have pulled a rabbit out of a hat in doing so, that’s for sure.
All hope is probably lost for Chelsea on the Champions League qualification front via the league, and while having to play Liverpool on April 4 won’t be ideal, as they play Aston Villa on April 1 and Wolves on April 8, it could be worse, they could be due to play Manchester City on April 1 and Arsenal on April 9, which Liverpool are going to have to do. The Reds will face off against the trio of Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal over nine days, which will be quite the test of their credentials.
It could also prove to be a determining factor in the race for the top four too, and if Liverpool can somehow, after a disappointing campaign so far, pull off the unthinkable and make it into the top four and cement their position. Taking points from the Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal games will give them a great chance of dining at European football’s top table for at least another season, and it could also help them attract players such as Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham in the summer too.
