adminLONDON. — Manchester United and Chelsea cross swords in the English Premier Soccer League this weekend with all eyes on the dugouts after a war of words between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte and Liverpool could take advantage.
With one or both of the sides bound to drop points at Old Trafford, Jurgen Klopp’s team are in prime position to pounce, hosting West Ham after a 10-day break following the 5-0 demolition of Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Conte and Mourinho have traded poisonous barbs this season, culminating in the pair saying they felt “contempt” for each other.
The feud started when the United boss said he did not need to “act like a clown” on the touchline, a comment perceived to be aimed at the animated Conte, who responded by claiming Mourinho must have “demenza senile” – senile dementia.
When Mourinho then appeared to allude to a suspension Conte served in relation to match-fixing, the Italian, who was later cleared of any wrongdoing on that issue, responded by accusing his rival of being “fake” and “a little man”.
United recently appeared secure in second place in the Premier League, albeit a distant second to Manchester City, but two defeats in three games leave Mourinho’s side looking vulnerable with matches against four of the top six sides still to come, including Chelsea in fourth spot.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have the chance to leapfrog second-placed Manchester United, at least temporarily, when they host West Ham today.
The club are riding high after smashing Porto 5-0 in the Champions League and will strongly fancy their chances of qualifying for next year’s competition with a Premier League run-in full of winnable fixtures.
“It’s really hard at the moment to make the squad,” Klopp told the club’s TV channel, LFCTV. “Wow, I’ve never had a situation like that with the quality of the players not being in the squad.”
“It’s difficult, it’s getting more and more difficult, but that’s good for us of course,” he added.
FIXTURES (all 5pm unless otherwise stated)
Today: Leicester City v Stoke City (2:30pm); Bournemouth v Newcastle; Brighton v Swansea, Burnley v Southampton, Liverpool v West Ham, West Brom v Huddersfield, Watford v Everton (7:30pm).
Tomorrow: Crystal Palace v Tottenham (2pm); Manchester United v Chelsea (4:05pm). — AFP
Online Reporter