Joel Matip has been a massive hit at Liverpool since arriving in the summer.
The Reds weren’t afraid to spend money in the window, but arguably one of their best bits of business was the decision to bring in the centre-back from Schalke on a free transfer.
However, while the Cameroonian has impressed so far, he is about to face his biggest test yet in the form of an on-fire Diego Costa.
Whether Matip can handle the striker could decide the outcome of Liverpool’s visit to Chelsea, but the defender has made it abundantly clear that he’s feeling confident.
Asked by the Telegraph how he was feeling about facing Costa, Matip replied:
“If an opponent tries to talk to me during the game, really, I don’t give a f***.
“I don’t think anyone is like Costa. You can play against players who like to make you uncomfortable, but not too many with his size or as famous as him.”
Costa won’t be Chelsea’s only attacking threat, but given that he has already scored four times this season, marking him out of the game is undoubtedly going to be Liverpool’s defensive priority.
All the same, Matip is aware that if he focuses too heavily on the 27-year-old, he could come unstuck elsewhere.
“But I don’t prepare only for Costa. I prepare for the whole team. Maybe he will be my direct adversary and I will study to see how he moves. I have seen a lot of his games. But you can never prepare for one player out of 11.”
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