When @talesfrmthecrypt asked me to be a part of the EPL Big Match Live blog team I had high hopes for the project. What I didn't expect was a whopping 166 comments on the first instalment of the series, making it a huge success. It's obvious that there are loads of people here who are interested in live football discussions. Why not take part in them on a platform that brings people together with common interests? We'd love to see you join in with the live blog at 12:30 pm (BST) on Saturday 20th October for Chelsea vs Manchester United.

Why join in?

There are plenty of reasons to join in with the EPL Big Match live blog series. Firstly, it's a chance to gain some rewards by interacting with other users in the comment section and receiving some juicy upvotes. This is also a chance to make new friends and connections before the masses join the platform further down the line.

As well as receiving rewards for yourself, you'll be contributing to the long-term success of Scorum. An interactive community will play a big role in attracting new users to join in with debates and discussions with real sports fans around the world. There's also the added bonus that the comment sections will be full of wonderful content for search engines to rank, making it easier for people to find the platform further down the line.

The Format of the Blogs

The Team

As this is quite a labour intensive blog, @talesfrmthecrypt recruited 4 of us to help with the running of the series, contribute to the live blog itself, and interact with other users in the comment section as the matches are being played. We're all big football enthusiasts and support a variety of teams so hope to bring plenty of different discussion points to the table.

This week, I'd like to give a warm welcome to the newest member of the team, @writingamigo. If you haven't already, you should go and check out some of his amazing Scorum posts. He's a very talented writer and will be a huge asset to the EPL Big Match live blog. You can find the rest of the team at the following links: @talesfrmthecrypt, @philnewton, @jb, @idunique.

Please note that we are simply the hosts of this series and its success depends on interaction from you within the comment section. It doesn't matter what team you support, your participation is most welcomed. The more the better!

How does a live blog work?

For this series, we've cherry-picked some of the highest profile Premier League matches throughout the season. The live blog post will be created on a rotational basis by one of the team each match. As the game is in play, the blog will be updated to include opinions and analysis from the team through to the final whistle. The aim here is to encourage discussion within the comment section with football fans in the community. If you have any opinions or thoughts throughout the match then please head to the comment section and post them. You can also get involved with discussions that are taking place between others users, too.

The games involved

Our provisional list of games can be found in the image below. We will add to this list as time goes by and you can expect to see some high profile Champions League games in the coming weeks and months.

If you are a supporter of any of the clubs featured within the EPL Big Match live blog and you'd like to be involved as a guest writer for the blog then feel free to contact Tales at @magister9 on Telegram.

Pre-Match Preview - Chelsea vs Manchester United

Game Time: 12:30pm (BST), Saturday 20th October

Source

It's that time again. Jose Mourinho returns to face off against his old club Chelsea as he tries to make an impact as manager of Manchester United. This is a clash of the Titans but for very different reasons than one might expect.

Chelsea have slipped somewhat under the radar this season yet sit in 2nd place in the Premier League on equal points with Manchester City and Liverpool. For all of the talk of this season being a two-horse race, you simply can't rule out a resurgent Chelsea after what we've seen from them so far. On the contrary, Manchester United have struggled to make much of an impact at all so far this season and there have been rumours that Jose Mourinho is on borrowed time at the club. They sit in 8th position in the league on 13 points.

This game feels like a huge opportunity for both teams. For Chelsea, it's a chance to show the rest of the league that they mean business and are real contenders for the title this season. For Manchester United, it's a chance to find some semblance of form after a dramatic comeback to defeat Newcastle in their previous game. A win here would provide a much-needed boost of confidence and would probably keep Mourinho in the manager's seat for a while.

Looking at the form guide over the last 3 games, Chelsea are looking in better shape than Manchester United at the moment. They've drawn 2 games against West Ham and Liverpool and put 3 points on the board with a comfortable win against Southampton. They'll be hurting from the West Ham game but will be happy with the other results. Manchester United drew against Wolverhampton Wanderers, lost to West Ham, and then beat Newcastle. Ignoring the great comeback against Newcastle, this is a disappointing set of results for United supporters. These are games that they need to be winning if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the European competitions at the end of the season.

As for the game itself, I wouldn't be surprised to see a cagey affair as the last thing Mourinho will want to see is his team on the end of a thrashing from his former club. The Manchester United defence will need to be at their best to snuff out an in-form Hazard. At the other end of the pitch, Lukaku could cause some major issues if United can hit the blues fast on the break. The midfield battle will be key here and Pogba will be expected to have a good game if Manchester United are to get anything out of the match. My hope is that we see both teams go for the 3 points which could mean lots of goals are on offer with such high-quality sides. Let us know what your predictions for the match are in the comment section below.

We're really looking forward to seeing you on the live blog at 12:30 pm (BST) this Saturday!