England Premier League
Sunday 2nd January 2022
Kick off at 4:30pm GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
Even if these two clubs were struggling in the league this would remain a huge fixture but the fact it is 2nd vs 3rd just adds to what should be a magnificent occasion in London.
Chelsea are in 2nd place only by one point over the Reds and have played a game more so in a sense they need this win more. Recent form has been off from the Blues though and they will need one of their best performances in a while to get anything in this encounter. It has been 3 draws from their last four games and some of those would feel questionable. With no disrespect to the following teams drawing at home against Everton, Brighton and Burnley would not have been on the agenda. Brighton have been solid this season but one would have expected with the players Chelsea have that a home win would have been forthcoming. Burnley have been poor and even worse on the road, and Everton were heavily depleted and coming off some poor performances, and yet Chelsea could only find 3 points from nine. Those six points lost when you are chasing a team as consistent a Manchester City and one as threatening as Liverpool are huge.
So Chelsea are at home and that should appear to have its advantages about them, not many clubs would relish a trip to Anfield. However at home it hasn’t been all plain sailing and indeed Thomas Tuchel’s side has a slightly better record on the road. It’s been 19 points earned from their last 10 league home games but only 7 points from their last 15. That’s not a terrible record but it is when your among the favourites to win a league title.
The Blues would go 4 points clear of Liverpool with a win, a draw would do none of the teams a favour and in fact would play into Manchester City’s hands, a win for the Reds would see them go into 2nd place and go two points clear with a game in hand, and for many could well discount Chelsea from the title race.
Like most teams Covid-19 has disrupted Liverpool’s plans, not greatly but it has had an affect and on top of that the club has gone two games without a win. A 2-2 draw at Tottenham was followed up by a surprise 1-0 loss at Leicester. The current situation looks bleak with Liverpool having slipped 12 points behind Manchester City but they do have two games in hand.
Jurgen Klopp’s team has the third best record on the road with 20 points won from a possible 30. The Reds have won 60% of their games on the road but recent form has seen just two wins from their last five.
Team News:
Chelsea: Andreas Christensen is set to miss this game through a back injury. Reece James is a major doubt for this game with his hamstring injury, Thiago Silva and Timo Werner should return. An update on Ben Chilwell has confirmed that the defender will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Liverpool: Takumi Minamino is out with a muscle injury, Divock Origi is a major doubt with his knee. Andrew Robertson is suspended after his earlier red card. Thiago Alcantara is out with a hip injury.
Chelsea vs Liverpool Head to Head:
Last season Liverpool won this game 2-0.
There is a 60% chance to see both teams to score.
It’s been 4 games going back to 2018 for the last time Chelsea beat Liverpool when at home in a league match.
Earlier this season the clubs drew 1-1 in the reverse fixture.
Chelsea vs Liverpool Prediction:
Chelsea have looked unbalanced lately but Liverpool haven’t looked quite at 100% either. The Reds have recorded some good wins over Chelsea in recent years but it has been two games in a row now where Chelsea have been able to avoid defeat.
The league looks like it could be going to Manchester City and Liverpool if they can’t win will most probably finish 2nd but that doesn’t mean this game can be disregarded. Chelsea are a quality side who need to up their level. They did so at Anfield in their 1-1 result at the beginning of the season though some would claim that was a different Chelsea side to the one we see presently who keep drawing too many games at home.
We need to see next level Chelsea. That team who can look brilliant in attack and assured at the back, this is a huge game for them and they need to keep Mohamed Salah quiet so there will be a lot of questions asked about them. We will be backing the Blues to get something out of this game, there is slightly more pressure on them to do so, let’s see if they know how to respond. As for Liverpool they should be as strong as ever but for their high standards they haven’t been quite as convincing as one would have expected especially in their recent games. Jurgen Klopp will also be missing from the game as he has Covid-19, how will that affect the players in the run up to this tough away fixture?
Chelsea vs Liverpool Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (0.0 Chelsea) at 1.93
Anytime goalscorer: Jorgino at 5.00
Correct Score: Chelsea to win 1-0 or 2-1 at 10.00 and 9.00
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