Liverpool have tasted a great success so far in their pre-season domestic friendlies as they cruised out to be the winner in every single game they played. The team now have travelled to the USA to play the rest of their games and the first stop for the manager would the fellow English side Chelsea, and the game will be contested at Rose Bowl Arena, Pasadena, in front of 92,000 spectators.
Chelsea, on the other hand, had mixed results as in the very first game, i.e, against Rapid Vienna, they faced a humiliating defeat by two goals to nil, but in the second game, they bounced back and defeated the Austrian side RZ Pellets by three goals to nil, where the youngsters were really impressive. But now, this is where it gets busy, as it is expected that both the team will be firing all the cylinders against each other as that could well set the tempo for the rest of the season.
Both the teams have included the stellar names in the tour, hence, this game can be called as a battle of the two English giants. There is no doubt that both the squads have a great potential, but only one will come out as victorious. So, here, we give you a combined lineup for upcoming clash:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois-
If the towering Belgian was excluded from the tour, then Karius would have made to the squad, but we all are aware of the skills Courtois possesses, hence, he is on our list. The Belgian had a tough campaign last season, but his skills in the European Championship were solely observed, so he is the goalkeeper for this combined XI.
Defenders: Clyne: Cahill; Lovren; Azpilicueta-
The right-back spot was a tough decision for us because both Azpilicueta and Nathaniel Clyne were absolutely stunning last season, but we do believe that Clyne has a slight edge over the Spaniard just due to the form of the last season, but we cannot overlook the Spanish defender and thanks a lot to his versatility, he made up in our squad as a left back.
The centre-back pairing was also a tough one to decide, and we came to a conclusion that due to Joel Matip’s injury, Lovren will be partnering up with the English defender Gary Cahill. Lovren was unarguably the best defender under Klopp last season, and even Cahill was pretty good, but only due to the team’s poor form, he failed to grab the spotlight.
Holding midfielders: Emre Can; Cesc Fabregas-
Emre Can is well capable of surpassing Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic for the defensive midfield spot. The 22-year-old German, who recently met Liverpool’s former skipper Steven Gerrard in LA is our first and utmost choice for the position and he will be lining up with Chelsea’s midfield maestro, Cesc Fabregas.
Attacking Trio: Hazard; Firmino; Coutinho-
This unarguably is the most creative trio in the league. The young and dynamic Brazilian Philippe Coutinho will charge the left flank with his usual tricks and dribbling skills, while the Belgian international, who finished his previous campaign on a high note will be guiding the side from the right flank. With both the players looking down to cut inside the box, another Brazilian attacker, Firmino, will stay intact in the middle to support their runs. We had a great competition for spots as Willian was far better than Hazard last season and even Mane’s stats were better than both, but looking at current form and the overall talent, Hazard might do the trick for the spot.
Striker: Diego Costa-
This was comparatively an easy choice, as Liverpool’s striker Daniel Sturridge lagged behind the Spanish attacker Diego Costa in terms of stats. Costa is a tough and dynamic striker, who loves to challenge the defenders and he creates a lot of space in the danger area that could be easily exploited by Hazard, Firmino, and Coutinho.
