Liverpool host Chelsea on Saturday evening at Anfield in an all-star Premier League match-up. Chelsea currently sit third in the table and are on a four-game winning run since losing to Manchester City in the league, while Liverpool are in fifth, having won their last three consecutive games.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side put four past a struggling West Brom team last week with Eden Hazard proving to be the star of the show on that occasion. The Belgian forward was hacked down by Gareth Barry in a challenge that went unpunished early in the game and his response was to terrorise the Baggies defence all afternoon. Hazard struck again in midweek from the penalty spot in Chelsea’s 4-0 victory over Qarabag in midweek, but it’s yet to be seen how much the trip to Azerbaijan will cost them in terms of fatigue, considering it’s an 11-hour round journey.
Liverpool, meanwhile, squandered a two-goal lead to Sevilla in midweek, eventually drawing the game 3-3. However, they outperformed a struggling Southampton team last week at Anfield with Mohamed Salah showing his worth once again after joining in the summer. The Egyptian is currently the top scorer in the Premier League and the Reds are also boosted by the return of Sadio Mane, who hasn’t featured since before the international break.
Liverpool vs. Chelsea Predictions
Chelsea come into this game as the underdog, although they’re arguably the more defensively solid of the two teams. It’s very likely that both teams will score, but Chelsea might edge it.
Liverpool vs. Chelsea Betting Tips
- Liverpool to win: 11/10
- Draw: 51/20
- Chelsea to win: 5/2
- Chelsea to win and both teams to score: 4/1
- Mohamed Salah to score first: 11/2
Head to Head
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five Premier League meetings with Chelsea (W2 D3), though both of those victories have come at Stamford Bridge.
- Chelsea haven’t lost any of their last five Premier League visits to Anfield (W2 D3), since a 1-4 loss in May 2012.
- This will be the 55th meeting between these sides in all competitions since the turn of the century, the most played fixture among sides with England’s top four tiers.
- Both teams have scored in 11 of the last 12 Premier League meetings between these sides, with the exception being Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Anfield in April 2014.
- On average this season, Liverpool have allowed their opponents the highest quality goalscoring chances in the Premier League, with their expected goals against total suggesting that the opposition should be expected to score with 14.6% of their chances.
- In fact, Liverpool have allowed their opponents to score with the highest proportion of their total shots this season in the Premier League (18.7%).
- Since Jurgen Klopp took over at Liverpool in October 2015, the Reds have won the most points in head-to-head matches between the “big six” sides in the Premier League (37 in 22 games), just ahead of Chelsea (31 in 22 games).
- In their last match against West Bromwich Albion, Marcos Alonso became the 42nd different player Cesc Fabregas has provided an assist for in the Premier League. Only Ryan Giggs (45 players) has assisted a higher tally of teammates than Fabregas.
- 15 of Chelsea’s Premier League goals have been scored by Spanish players this season. Only two teams in La Liga have seen more of their goals scored by Spaniards than this tally in 2017/18, Real Sociedad (18) and Valencia (16).
- Alvaro Morata has had a hand in 12 goals in his first 11 Premier League games for Chelsea (eight goals, four assists), more than any other Blues player in the competition’s history.
- Mohamed Salah has netted nine goals in the Premier League this term, the most by any Liverpool player in their first 12 appearances in the competition. He appeared 13 times in the Premier League for Chelsea and scored just twice.
Liverpool Team News
Sadio Mane is expected to start, having featured in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Sevilla in midweek. The only absentees for Jurgen Klopp are Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Bogdan.
Probable Liverpool XI: Simon Mignolet, Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino
Chelsea Team News
Eden Hazard is fit to play for Chelsea after starring in last week’s game against West Brom. Michy Batshuayi and Victor Moses both miss out through injury. David Luiz could also start after returning in midweek against Qarabag.
Probable Chelsea XI: Thibault Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Davide Zappacosta, Marcos Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard, Pedro, Alvaro Morata
