England Premier League
Wednesday 31st January 2024
Kick off at 8:15pm GMT
Venue: Anfield
Match Preview:
Liverpool are in 1st place and can’t be overtaken even if they were to lose here and their rivals were to win but they know they have a tough task on their hands with Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa in hot pursuit. For Liverpool this is all about taking one game at a time although they will be wary of City who has a game in hand over them. The story surrounding the club of course has been the announcement that Jurgen Klopp will leave at the end of the season and that has been a shock to the system but his timing may have been perfect with the Reds fighting on all fronts and in a very good position to win trophies.
In the FA Cup lightwork was made of Norwich as they ran out 5-2 winners and they have recently reached the EFL Cup final where they will meet today's opponents Chelsea at the end of next month. In the league the Reds have only lost once this season and have won their last 3 games in a row with wins over Burnley, Newcastle and Bournemouth, indeed they have scored 8 goals in their last two league games alone. At home Liverpool have an 80% win record with no defeats and have scored 26 goals from 10 games
Although this has not been a good season for Chelsea they are improving and last week their fortunes were boosted as they reached the EFL Cup final after beating Middlesbrough 6-1 in the 2nd leg of their semi-final. They also drew 0-0 at home to Aston Villa in the FA Cup and will face a replay to see which of those two Premier League sides reaches the fifth round. But in the league Mauricio Pochettino’s side have improved also and they come into this clash having won their last 3 games in a row and have climbed up to 9th place. If results go their way they could well head into the weekend as high as 7th. The clubs last game ended in a 1-0 win over derby rivals Fulham and on the road their last game was a 3-2 win over Luton however previous to that match they had recorded 4 defeats in a row. Overall the Blues have lost 50% of their games away from home.
Team News:
Liverpool: The latest update on Mohamed Salah is that he has a hamstring injury and will not be able to return for at least two weeks. Alexis MacAllister has a knock but is being tipped to return but will be assessed first. Wataro Endo is on international duty. Stefan Bajcetic is not due back for another 3-4 weeks due to a calf injury. Thiago Alcantara is out for a further month due to his ongoing hip injury. Ben Doak and Joel Matip are both out long term with knee injuries
Chelsea: Malo Gusto will be assessed and could return from a muscle injury, Christopher Nkunku is also being tipped to return from a hip injury. Trevoh Chabolah has recovered from injury but is 50/50 to return due to a lack of match fitness, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia remain sidelined with no fixed return date. Marc Cucurella is not due back for another five weeks at least due to an ankle injury. Robert Sanchez and Lesley Ugochukwu both remain out and Nicolas Jackson is on international duty
Liverpool vs Chelsea Head to Head:
The last time the clubs met the game finished 0-0.
The last three matches have all ended in draws.
The last 5 meetings have all seen under 2.5 goals.
Chelsea have just 1 victory in the last 10 meetings.
Liverpool vs Chelsea Prediction:
Chelsea’s form has improved but none of their recent wins have come against top quality sides and while we could possibly expect the club to get something at home to any club on their day away to Liverpool at this current time in the Chelsea project seems like a big ask to even come away with a draw.
Liverpool have been remarkable lately in that they can miss Mohamed Salah and not really feel that loss and that is a positive sign going forward if he does leave this summer. We expect a strong performance from the home side who will put in even more extra effort despite Chelsea struggling at times this season. They are still rightly seen as a big club with a threat but also let’s remember that they have a long injury list too.
Liverpool vs Chelsea Betting Tips:
Liverpool to beat Chelsea at 1.52
Under 3.5 goals at 1.74
Anytime goalscorer: Darwin Nunez at 2.25
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