The Blues have lost back-to-back Premier League games against Brighton and Manchester United under manager Enzo Maresca and are looking to bounce back against Liverpool at home this weekend.
Meanwhile, The Reds slipped to a 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace last weekend, ending a five-match winning streak for the league leaders, who have a tough test at Stamford Bridge ahead of them.
However, while both teams look to bounce back, life does not get any easier as the Premier League announce who will be officiating the game. Controversial referee Anthony Taylor will serve as the on-field referee, with Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn acting as his assistants.
Craig Pawson will oversee video assistant referee (VAR) duties, supported by assistant VAR Adrian Holmes. The decision to have Pawson comes as a surprise after the controversy surrounding Manchester United's penalty against Brentford last weekend.
Pawson will also be in the ear of Taylor who has been entrusted to officiate five matches, resulting in a total of 16 yellow cards being shown. He is also awarding, on average, a penalty nearly every other game. This will worry Chelsea fans, who have seen a number of red cards already this season, wrecking their results as they drop to ten men.
Chelsea fans launched a petition demanding Taylor doesn’t referee their games in future and they will not be happy with Pawson in charge who despite the season just starting has already put himself in the center of controversy.