Friday night, under the lights, at Stamford Bridge — that’s the scene when Chelsea host Liverpool on Friday (Watch live, 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBC Sports).
The Blues need a victory to keep the pressure on Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title, while the Reds could leapfrog four teams, including Chelsea, and go second in the league table with three points of their own.
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Liverpool haven’t lost a league game at Stamford Bridge since 2013 (one win, one draw), a stretch which includes Jurgen Klopp’s very first PL victory, a 3-1 drubbing of then-manager Jose Mourinho’s men last October. Klopp versus first-year Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is a fascinating storyline in its own right, but few are likely to garner the attention that Diego Costa will surely do.
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Having scored the Blues’ late equalizer against Swansea City last weekend, Costa has been a constant topic of discussion this week given the Brazilian-turned-Spaniard should have been sent off (again) well before his decisive moment (also, again). Regardless, Costa’s four goals scored put him joint-top of the PL this season (Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Michail Antonio).
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Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Courtois; Ivanovic (c), Cahill, David Luiz, Azpi; Kante; Willian, Oscar, Matic, Hazard; Costa. https://t.co/KUhoBXvWmu
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 16, 2016
#LFC team to face @ChelseaFC: Mignolet, Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Coutinho, Mane, Sturridge #CFCvLFC
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 16, 2016