A clash of Premier League heavyweights awaits with Chelsea in the blue corner and Liverpool in the red corner, with both being dealt heavy blows recently.
Match News and Current Form
Chelsea’s slender 1-0 win over Benfica courtesy of an own goal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday will hardly feel like a momentous victory, especially since their last two Premier League games ended in defeat. A three-match winless run in the league overall leaves the Blues some seven points adrift of their opponents here, so they’ll hope they can get things back on track at Stamford Bridge where they’ve lost just two of their last 18 home matches in all competitions (W13, D3), as they look to avoid suffering three successive league defeats for the first time since May 2023.
They welcome an out-of-sorts Liverpool side who’ve lost back-to-back matches for just the second time under Arne Slot. A last-gasp 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last week, their first failure to win in any competition this term, was followed by a 1-0 reverse against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday, with the nature of both performances perhaps more concerning than the actual results. There’s no guarantee the Reds will put things right here either, since they’ve lost their last three Premier League trips to London.
Head-to-Head History
Chelsea finally broke a ten-game winless run against Liverpool (D5, L5) with a 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge late last season, and now could register back-to-back home league wins over the Reds for the first time since 2006.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Chelsea have scored exactly once before half-time in seven of their last nine home matches.
Chelsea are winless in their last five Premier League home games against the reigning champions (D1, L4).
Pre-round, Liverpool’s six Premier League games this season have featured a league-high eight goals after the 80th minute.
None of Liverpool’s last eight games have been decided by more than one goal.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
João Pedro was sent off in midweek but it’s usually goals he gets at home, with five of his last six Premier League strikes coming in home games. He’ll have to get past Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who has scored in each of the last two seasons against Chelsea, and could be a late threat with his last four goals for the Reds coming in the 80th minute or later.
As well as being without Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s defensive injury crisis is compounded by a suspension for Trevoh Chalobah after his red card last week. Alisson and Hugo Ekitike were both taken off injured for Liverpool in midweek.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
The last nine Premier League H2Hs saw the half-time result replicated come full-time, so backing the draw/draw in the half-time/full-time market could be worth a go.
Author: Peter Stavrinou