Liverpool will be looking to seal Champions League qualification this weekend when they welcome a Chelsea side still struggling to get any winning momentum in the Premier League
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has a big job on his hands this summer(Image: Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Liverpool missed the chance to seal Champions League qualification at Old Trafford, but can all but confirm a top-five Premier League finish when they host Chelsea in Saturday’s early kick-off at Anfield. The champions saw their three-game winning run ended by a painful 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last weekend, shortly before Chelsea slumped to a 3-1 home loss to Nottingham Forest — their sixth straight top-flight defeat.
The bookies unsurprisingly have Liverpool as the favourites at 4/5 with BetGoodwin while Sky Bet have the Blues at 13/5 and a draw at 3/1 with Ladbrokes. You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers.
On a day when either United or Liverpool could have secured a Champions League place, the Red Devils came out on top. Liverpool took advantage of defensive errors to rally from 2-0 down, only for Kobbie Mainoo to mark his new contract with a superb winner 13 minutes from time.
Liverpool sit fourth on 58 points, six ahead of Bournemouth and seven clear of Brentford, and will secure Champions League football if they beat Chelsea and Bournemouth drop points at Fulham. They can take confidence from recent home form, collecting 10 points from the last 12 available at Anfield, despite just one clean sheet in their last seven league games.
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Chelsea’s problems are even more severe. They arrive on Merseyside as the division’s worst-form side, having taken no points from their last six league matches as Newcastle, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Brighton and Forest have all beaten them. Calum McFarlane’s side at least ended a five-game scoring drought against Forest thanks to a stoppage-time Joao Pedro strike, but it was little more than consolation after Taiwo Awoniyi’s brace and an Igor Jesus goal.
Ninth in the table and 10 points behind Aston Villa with three games left, Chelsea can no longer finish in the top five, though sixth place remains within reach. Still, their current slide has them on the brink of a seventh consecutive league loss — a run they have only suffered once before, in 1952.
Chelsea have beaten Liverpool twice at Stamford Bridge in 2025, including a 2-1 win in October, but Liverpool have won their last two Anfield meetings, also by 2-1, the most recent inspired by Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool vs Chelsea Prediction
Liverpool vs Chelsea Team News
Liverpool are already without long-term Achilles absentee Hugo Ekitike and have a fresh concern in Alexander Isak, who has a minor groin issue and is still a doubt. Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate also remain questionable after missing training on Wednesday, along with Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili. Mohamed Salah, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are all ruled out, with Joe Gomez and Rio Ngumoha on standby if needed.
Chelsea’s loss to Forest was overshadowed by teenage forward Jesse Derry suffering a nasty head injury after a clash with Zach Abbott. With Robert Sanchez also involved in a separate head collision with Morgan Gibbs-White, Filip Jorgensen may be needed in goal. Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens could return, but Estevao Willian is out and Mykhaylo Mudryk remains suspended due to a doping ban.