Michael Owen believes that having fans back at Anfield will play into Liverpool’s hands but is excited to see the Virgil van Dijk vs. Romelu Lukaku duel play out.
While all the hysteria the last few days has been about Cristiano Ronaldo returning to the Premier League and the various transfers that are going on right now, football is back again this weekend.
Liverpool are going head to head with Chelsea and after his big-money return to Stamford Bridge, Lukaku will now face the acid test as a centre-forward when he faces up against Virgil van Dijk.
NORWICH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 14: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool gestures during the Premier League match between Norwich City and Liverpool at Carrow Road on August 14, 2021 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
The Dutchman is the best centre half in the world and while he is returning from an ACL tear and isn’t at full match fitness yet, it will be fascinating to see how he deals with the Belgian goal machine.
Michael Owen, speaking to Bet Victor, said that he fancies his old side to take the win but has identified van Dijk vs. Lukaku as the key battle.
The former Liverpool forward said: “Chelsea are looking fantastic though. They don’t seem to have any weaknesses so far and the size of their squad makes them a hard team to look beyond.
“I loved what I saw from Lukaku against Arsenal and his movement, in particular, was outstanding. He bullied the Arsenal defence so I’m curious to see how he gets on here. If any defender could deal with him, it would be Van Dijk, what a duel that will be.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 22: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea scores their side’s first goal past Bernd Leno of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on August 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
“Call me biased but I still like Liverpool’s chances here! With the fans back at Anfield, this will feel like a proper occasion, and I think they can edge it 2-1.”
While it’s way too early to be talking about winning the Premier League, it does need to be said that after all the major pundits tipped Liverpool to finish fourth, the Reds could go into the international break as the only title favourite with a 100% record in the league.
That’s not anything to get carried away with but given that we have had to put up with watching Manchester United sign Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo while watching Chelsea and Manchester City spend over £100million each.
Even Arsenal have spent nearly £100m. So if Liverpool go on to lift the Premier League title this season, there can be no debates over whether or not this team is up there with the greats.
