11th Nov 2012 | Football
Chelsea v Liverpool Tip
Mata has scored 7 in his last 9 but remains a bargain to find the net today.
History would suggest that Liverpool have some sort of hold over Chelsea but I don’t buy into that. What I see are European champions with a chance to go back to within one point of the top of the table playing at home to mid-table opposition.
An early contender for player of the season, arguably the man most likely to find the net is Juan Mata at a best price of 12/5 (Bluesquare) in the anytime goalscorer market. The 24-year-old acknowledges that he is at the top of his game.”This is the best form I have ever been in. It’s been a very good season for me.”
Perhaps the bookies have forgotten just how sharp the Spaniard was looking before his brief spell on the sidelines. Mata has revelled in his role alongside Hazard and Oscar, scoring even more goals than he’s assisting in 2011-12.
The 24-year-old is actually Chelsea’s joint top scorer with seven in all competitions already. But even that doesn’t do justice to the run he’s been on since the end of September. He scored against Wolves in the League Cup before firing the winner at Arsenal a few days later.
Mata then made it four goals in three appearances with a brace against Nordsjaelland in the Champions League. Then there was a further double at White Hart Lane before he found the net against Man United.
On that kind of run, the Reds and the odds-makers should be running scared.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 12:16 11th Nov, 2012 but subject to change
