'I think': Cucurella says whether Liverpool really deserved to win the PL last season ahead of Saturday's clash
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Liverpool are facing the prospect of losing three matches in succession for the first time under Arne Slot as they take on Chelsea this Saturday.The Reds have been beaten by Crystal Palace and Galatasaray over the past week, with another away game on the agenda in London.It always had the look of being a difficult week for Liverpool, but they must pull out the stops to ensure they avoid an unwanted hat-trick.Perhaps encouragingly, Chelsea are in similarly poor form, although they did stop the rot with a 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday.The Blues also have a good recent Premier League record against Liverpool, especially at Stamford Bridge.As the Reds head to west London with the hope of getting back to winning ways, Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella has given his thoughts on whether Slot’s team are worthy Premier League champions.Photo by Linnea Rheborg – UEFA/UEFA via Getty ImagesMarc Cucurella accepts Liverpool deserved the Premier LeagueCucurella has enjoyed a real renaissance since the early days of his Chelsea career. Having also become a regular with Spain, the 27-year-old is one of the best left-backs in Europe.He is also something of a wind-up merchant, and often seems to relish annoying opposition players and fans.READ MORE: How long Alisson Becker is expected to be out injured for as Liverpool await news from scanDespite that, Cucurella clearly has respect for Liverpool, telling Chelseafc.com that the Reds fully deserved to win the title last term.“We are ready to play these types of games,” said the Spain international.
“For sure, I think Liverpool deserved to win the league last season.”“This season, they have started really strongly, but I think the last few games we have played against Liverpool have been a fight.“We get to play at home, and we’ll be going for the three points because the last results in the Premier League have been a bit tough for us. We have a good opportunity to finish with a win before the international break.”Mohamed Salah fresh for Cucurella testLikely to start at left-back against Liverpool, Cucurella will have the task of keeping Mohamed Salah quiet at Stamford Bridge.Unfortunately, this has been too easy a task for too many defenders in the Premier League this season.But although Salah has been in disappointing form over the past month, he should be fresh and ready to attack Chelsea on Saturday.The Egyptian played for only 28 minutes against Galatasaray in midweek.
As a result, Salah should be slightly rejuvenated to face his former team.Cucurella is a good defender and has often managed to keep the Liverpool legend quiet, but hopefully Salah’s extra bit of rest can turn the tide in that respect.