Chelsea’s season has reached a thrilling climax, with every remaining league game a true “final” in the chase for the Champions League places.
After narrow wins over Fulham and Everton, the Blues take on even tougher opposition this weekend when they play newly-crowned champions Liverpool. Arne Slot’s team have proved a cut above everyone else in the league this year, under normal circumstances we’d be expecting then to blow us away.
While we’ve been inconsistent, and often very poor this season, they’ve been consistent, and often very good. It’s not the ideal game to reach with your season on the line, and the tension is going to be palpable. When Sunday arrives, you could entertain yourself with an enjoyable session on the Toshi.bet Mini App, or you could sit yourself down for some torture, and prepare to watch between your fingers as Chelsea’s Champions League hopes are put on the line.
There are a couple of factors going in our favour here – for one, the game is at Stamford Bridge. There’s been an increasingly bad vibe at home games in recent months as results have collapsed, but the home crowd will always get themselves up for a game against old rivals like Liverpool. The fact we go into it with 2 wins in 2 also just generally improves the mood and the patience of the home crowd.
A lot of the tension this season between the fans and the team has been about the style of football as much as the results, and that should be easier too. Manager Enzo Maresca likes to point out that the times the crowd struggle to enjoy his football is when we face smaller teams who sit deep and defend. Liverpool will come out and attack us, that gives us more space to work with, and hopefully leads to some more watchable football.
Then there’s the biggest potential wildcard factor of all – the Reds having won the title this last weekend. Sadly it won’t be like the old days – Mo Salah and co. won’t be out partying all week to celebrate. But there will be an inevitably drop in intensity now that the title is won, and Slot could even mix his team up a little bit.
It’s not something we can rely on to change the game, but even if they’re playing with 95% of their usual intensity that might just level the playing field enough for us to have a chance.
