Chelsea boss Frank Lampard expects Liverpool to name a strong side
for the teams’ FA Cup fifth-round tie at Stamford Bridge and believes
the Reds’ shock 3-0 defeat to Watford could make the match even harder.
Liverpool played their under-23 team in the fourth-round replay
against Shrewsbury Town and left out all of their star names in the
third-round win over Everton, as well as making huge changes
throughout their EFL Cup campaign.
But with the FA Cup now at the last-16 stage, Chelsea are planning
for a Liverpool starting XI that resembles their Premier League
selections as Jurgen Klopp’s men look to bounce back from their first
top-flight defeat this season.
“We would expect Liverpool to put out a strong team, I presume they
will play their strongest team, there or thereabouts,” Lampard said at
his pre-match news conference.
“We know whatever team they put out they will give us a very strong
match. We have to play with a big spirit and we will have to be at our
best.
“Their defeat against Watford won’t make it any easier for us. With
the type of manager and players that they have it can be a wake-up call
in a good way as well. It depends how you take it.
“When you look at them they look like a team of fantastic
professionals with a manager who is very driven. So things like that can
make this game even harder for us.
“They became relatively human for one game, that can happen in this
Premier League which is incredibly competitive. It shows how well they
have done in the last year or so, especially this season.”
‘My best match, in my opinion, that I played for this club!’
Gianfranco Zola recalls the Blues’ incredible FA Cup comeback victory against Liverpool in 1997! #CHELIV pic.twitter.com/G4rhX0iwzD
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 2, 2020
Lampard is still without injured quartet Christian Pulisic, N’Golo
Kante, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham, with Andreas Christensen
also a major doubt after sustaining a minor issue and Ruben Loftus-Cheek
instead playing for the under-23s on Monday.
He was giving little away about his own team selection, although he
confirmed goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was in contention for a return.
“We will field a team that gives everything to get into the next round against a very strong Liverpool team,” said Lampard.
“The team I put out should give everything to compete with Liverpool,
as we have done twice this season. We’ve competed very well against
them and were probably unfortunate to lose on both occasions.
Lampard says he doesn’t mind this midweek round of FA Cup games: ‘The FA Cup is a huge competition, evening games bring a different atmosphere and playing Liverpool is always big for us.’#CHELIV
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 2, 2020
“So we have to approach it with the same spirit. We want to win it
but winning something is usually a phrase that has gone out
of the Premier League unless you are Manchester City or Liverpool,
pretty much, in the last couple of years.
“They have made so many strides and gone out on their own slightly so
we have to understand that the landscape has changed and try to bridge
the gap.
“Yes, Kepa [is in contention]. He has been professional as expected,
trained well and kept his head down, supporting the team and the group.
He has been good, but I say the same every week as I get asked this
every week.”
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