(Football news) Few would have predicted that two of the biggest teams in the Premier League: Liverpool and Chelsea, will be so far behind in the title race at this stage of the season but here we are. Jurgen Klopp’s side are ninth (with a game in hand) while Graham Potter’s team are tenth in the Premier League and both teams are currently hoping to desperately salvage their season. Chelsea have had as many as eight incoming players in the January transfer window (including two from loan) and results will be key for Graham Potter to keep his job, especially considering the investment in the squad.
Liverpool recently lost 3-0 to Brighton in what was Jurgen Klopp’s “worst” game of his Liverpool career but the Reds did manage to get a 1-0 victory over Wolves in their FA Cup third round replay match, courtesy of a goal by Harvey Elliott. As things stand, Liverpool are 10 points behind the Champions League spots and will hope that they can go on a winning run while their rivals drop points to be in Europe’s elite club competition next season.
The Reds have a fantastic record at Anfield, having lost just one of their last 32 top-flight contests and scoring 23 goals in the process. Klopp will demand three points in his 1000th game as manager and Liverpool will be favourites heading into this fixture.
As for Chelsea, they recently broke their losing streak with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace thanks to Kai Havertz’s header while Thiago Silva and Kepa Arrizabalaga put in sublime performances. New signing Mykhaylo Mudryk was unveiled at Stamford Bridge but it remains to be seen if the Ukrainian will feature in the starting lineup against Liverpool. As things stand, Graham Potter has the backing of Chelsea’s board despite his abysmal record of two wins in 10 games in the Premier League.
In team news, Liverpool’s injury woes continue as the likes of Arthur, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk will be unavailable for selection but Darwin Nunez should be fit and ready. This means Cody Gakpo could feature in a wider role while Andrew Robertson will take the place of Kostas Tsimikas, who suffered a knock against Crystal Palace. Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Mohamed Salah and Fabinho will feature in the starting lineup to provide plenty of experience for the Reds.
As for Chelsea, Mykhaylo Mudryk could make his debut while Kai Havertz is a doubt after not training at the Cobham training ground due to unspecified reasons. This means that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could feature in the starting lineup but the likes of Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, N’Golo Kante, Reece James, Armando Broja and Denis Zakaria will be unavailable due to injuries. Joao Felix will be serving his second of his three game suspension while Benoit Badiashile and Lewis Hall could feature in defence.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Konate, Robertson; Elliott, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
Liverpool and Chelsea will lock horns in the Premier League, hoping to rediscover their form for a place in Europe next season
Kepa; Chalobah, Badiashile, Silva, Hall; Kovacic, Jorginho, Gallagher; Ziyech, Aubameyang, Mount
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