Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend, and they will look to push for Champions League qualification with a positive performance at home.
They are fifth in the league table, and they cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season. They have a dreadful record against Liverpool, and it will be interesting to see if they can make amends here.
The visitors have nothing to play for. They have already won the Premier League title, and it will be interesting to see if they can produce a strong performance here. They have an impressive record against Chelsea, and they will look to complete a league double over the London club.
Liverpool are certainly the better team on paper, and they are coming into this match on the back of five wins from the last six matches. Chelsea haven’t been too bad either, and they are unbeaten in the last five league matches. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez, who is still recovering from his hamstring injury. Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence.
Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add defensive cover and control from the midfield, while Dominik Szoboszlai creates goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates in the number ten role.
Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo will add creativity and goals from the wide areas, with Diogo Jota leading the line for Liverpool.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Jota
Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended for the hosts. Other than that, Wesley Fofana and Marc Guiu are ruled out with knocks.
The Blues are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Robert Sanchez in goal.
Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back and hit Liverpool on the counter. Nathaniel Chalobah will start in central defence alongside Levi Colwill.
Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will start in the midfield pivot. Caicedo will look to protect the back four and break down the opposition attacks, and Fernandez will look to add creativity and control to the side from the deep.
Cole Palmer will start in the number ten role, and he will look to add goals and creativity to the side. Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho will start on either side of him. They will add pace and flair to the attack.
Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for Chelsea against Liverpool.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Key Stats
Player to watch out for
Cole Palmer
The Chelsea attacker is our key player to watch out for. Palmer is certainly one of the best attackers in the league, and the Blues will need him to stay up and deliver here. They are in desperate need to win to keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive, and they will need Palmer to step up and deliver. Liverpool have looked vulnerable defensively in recent weeks, and he could cause problems for them. He will look to create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
Both teams will look to pick up a win here, and this is likely to be a contest. On paper, Liverpool are a better team, but Chelsea are likely to put up a strong fight here. They will be looking to continue their push for a top-four finish, and they cannot afford to end up on the losing side. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet here, and it will be difficult to separate them. They could cancel each other out and share the spoils in a draw.