Liverpool will welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Sunday, with both sides looking to continue their impressive run of form.
Liverpool are coming into the game against Chelsea on the back of six consecutive victories in all competitions, and they will be full of confidence. The Reds have done well against Chelsea at home, and they will certainly fancy their chances of picking up all three points.
The home side will be hoping to compete with Arsenal and Manchester City for the league this season, and they need to grind positive results in these games to stay ahead of their rivals. Meanwhile, Chelsea have started the season in impressive form as well, and they are fourth in the league table.
The Blues have picked up five wins and a draw from the last six matches in all competitions. Chelsea will also fancy their chances of getting something out of this contest against Liverpool, and it remains to be seen whether they can pull off an upset at Anfield. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Harvey Elliott is sidelined with a foot injury. The home side will be without Alisson Becker due to a hamstring injury as well. Federico Chiesa is still working his way back to full fitness. Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Chelsea, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out in the attack and protect the central defenders. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add creativity and control to the side. They will look to control the tempo of the game from the deep. The duo will look to help out defensively as well.
Dominik Szoboszlai will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the number ten role. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add pace, flair and goals from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez
Chelsea
Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana are suspended for the visitors. Other than that, Chelsea have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool. The Blues are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Robert Sanchez in goal.
Malo Gusto and Renato Veiga will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back and hit Liverpool on the counter. Axel Disasi will start in the central defensive pairing alongside Levi Colwill.
Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will start in the midfield double pivot. While Caicedo will look to protect the back four and break down the opposition attacks, 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, Disasi, Colwill, Veiga; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Key Stats
- Liverpool have drawn eight of their last nine matches against Chelsea in all competitions.
- Liverpool have been drawing at both half-time and full-time in eight of their last nine matches against Chelsea in all competitions.
- Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight matches in the Premier League.
- Only eight goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Five of the last six matches between these two sides have ended with two or fewer goals.
- Both Chelsea and Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international is our key player to watch out for. He will look to make his mark against his former side. Salah has done well against Chelsea in the past, and Liverpool will look to him for goals and creativity. The Egyptian is in impressive form, and he could cause all sorts of problems for the Chelsea defence with his technical ability and goalscoring prowess.
Prediction
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Both teams are in impressive form right now, and this will be a close contest. They are likely to play for a win here and they are likely to get on the score sheet as well. However, the two teams will be hard to separate and they are likely to cancel each other out. A draw seems quite likely.
