Chelsea-Liverpool Preview
LONDON (SE) - Just three days after they met at Wembley for the FA Cup final, Liverpool will host Chelsea at Anfield in the two teams' penultimate games of the Premier League season.
Chelsea hung on to win the final and continue their remarkable run of form under Roberto Di Matteo and goalkeeper Petr Cech believes that Saturday's triumph will give the team a massive boost ahead of the upcoming Champions League final.
"When you win a cup and you go to the Champions League final, it gives you a lot of confidence and the mood is obviously different when you win a cup than when you lose a cup," said Cech. "We have two weeks to prepare and we have another opportunity to have this same feeling again.
"We can concentrate on that full of confidence - it would have been completely different if we'd lost, but we didn't."
The cup win has increased pressure on Chelsea to appoint manager Di Matteo on a permanent basis, but the interim manager insists that any decision won't be made before the end of season.
"The boss (Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich) will make a decision at the end of the season," said Di Matteo. "I'm very relaxed about it and the players will be fine. I am a very fortunate person so it is not an issue.
"I am very pleased for the players. We have had a difficult season with a lot of criticism but they have responded to all the adversity we have faced. I'm very pleased and satisfied with our performance today.
"I also think AVB (former manager Andre Villas- Boas) should get some credit because he started us off on this run in the FA Cup."
Liverpool's defeat at Wembley leaves the club reflecting on a disappointing season in the league and captain Steven Gerrard has admitted that the players need to improve.
"We have been superb in the cup competitions," said Gerrard. "The players deserve a lot of credit for getting to two finals but our league form hasn't been good enough.
"We have been two different teams in the league and the cups this season. I said that before the game and I haven't changed my mind.
"I don't know what the answer is. We need to find a better level of consistency in the league. The performances haven't been good enough.
"The players need to take responsibility for the poor league showing. It is as simple as that. With the players in the dressing room we shouldn't be eighth in the league."
Liverpool remain without Charlie Adam (knee) and Lucas Leiva (knee). Chelsea have doubts over Gary Cahill and David Luiz, who are both struggling with hamstring problems.
Defeat for Liverpool would leave them in danger of finishing in the bottom half of the table for the first time in the Premier League era. Only four teams in the division have managed fewer home wins than Liverpool's five, and all of those teams are involved in the relegation mix. Only Manchester United have lost fewer games away from home than Chelsea this season and only the top two have conceded less goals on the road.
