Tammy Abraham Says Chelsea Can Take 'Anger Out' vs. Liverpool

Tammy Abraham and Chelsea are angry about losing to Valencia in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, but the striker thinks the Blues will vent their frustration against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea will host the Reds on Sunday, the first game after both teams lost in Europe. Valencia left Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 victory thanks to a 74th-minute goal from Rodrigo.

Ross Barkley might have rescued a point from the spot, but the midfielder saw his penalty crash off the crossbar. It meant a losing start in Group H for Frank Lampard's young team, and Abraham is looking forward to putting it right, per ESPN.com: "[Sunday] is a test of character. We can take our anger out against Liverpool. It's a massive game and both teams will be going to win. We'll look forward to putting [the defeat against Valencia] right."

Having described Chelsea as "fuming" to lose to Los Che, Abraham will be one of the players Lampard counts on to cause Liverpool problems. The 21-year-old striker had been in prolific form before the visit of Valencia, scoring seven goals in three matches, including a hat-trick during the 5-2 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers:

Abraham's performances have helped him usurp Olivier Giroud as the undisputed focal point in Lampard's enterprising team. His pace is stretching defences, while he is also growing in confidence as a finisher, showing the kind of ruthless streak all consistent goalscorers need.

His form already has Chelsea thinking about securing the longterm future of a player who is solving the club's lengthy search for a marquee No. 9, according to Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian:

Abraham's form continuing will rely heavily on the creativity of those around him. Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic know how to take care of the ball in the middle of the park, while Willian offers flair out wide.

The rest of the support from the flanks could change, though, after Mason Mount was injured against Valencia. Abraham's fellow academy graduate has also been thriving on Lampard's watch but was substituted in the 16th minute with an ankle problem after being subjected to some rough treatment:

Even if Mount were fit, Abraham would find extending his domestic scoring run tough against Liverpool's experienced defence. However, Chelsea may take hope from how vulnerable the Reds looked at the back during Tuesday's 2-0 defeat away to Napoli.

Left-back Andy Robertson gave away a penalty late on after a challenge on Jose Callejon. Usually rock-solid centre-back Vigil van Dijk was then punished for overplaying in the lead up to Fernando Llorente's goal:

With goalkeeper Alisson Becker still injured, Abraham could be facing Liverpool's suddenly shaky unit at exactly the right time. The Reds have conceded in all but one of their league games this season, and a more forward-thinking Chelsea team motivated by a missed opportunity in Europe will represent the toughest test so far for the leaders.