Chelsea vs Liverpool

Stamford Bridge forms the backdrop for a mid-table Premier League showdown between downtrodden heavyweights Chelsea and Liverpool.

Last weekend’s 2-0 home loss to fellow mid-table rivals Aston Villa proved the end of the road for manager Graham Potter, who left Chelsea in the lower reaches after 29 Premier League games for the first time since 1995/86. It’ll be up to caretaker boss Bruno Saltor to help the ‘Blues’ turn the corner after back-to-back winless league games (D1, L1), both of which saw them concede precisely twice. However, the signs are ominous ahead of Liverpool’s visit, with Chelsea going winless in ten of their last 13 midweek Premier League assignments (W3, D6, L4), including defeats in both such fixtures in 2023. On top of that underwhelming piece of statistics, the ‘Pensioners’ have failed to beat Liverpool in their last four top-flight H2Hs (D2, L2), most recently holding them to a scoreless draw in the reverse fixture in January.

On the other hand, Liverpool opened the scoring on their trip to Manchester City at the weekend but eventually suffered a dismal 4-1 defeat to bitter rivals, making it two league losses in a row and losing crucial ground on top-four placings. Liverpool’s travel sickness remains the elephant in the room, with the abovementioned thumping at the hands of Man City marking their eighth Premier League defeat on the road this season (W3, D3). Indeed, to better understand the extent of the visitors’ form woes on the road, take a look at their paltry return of 12 points from 14 top-flight travels this season! But this encounter could be a perfect opportunity for the ‘Reds’ to turn their fortunes around after racking up 13 wins in their last 14 Premier League contests held in midweek, including nine in a row since going down at Leicester City in December 2021.