Liverpool vs Chelsea
Arne Slot’s Liverpool host managerless Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, hoping to confirm Champions League football for next season, and that is the Reds’ sole target at the end of a limp Premier League title defence.
Fourth-placed Liverpool are out of the Champions League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup, and didn’t seriously threaten in any of those competitions either, a poor return on a significant investment in new players last summer. Chelsea are still in the FA Cup, but they are down in ninth place in the league, on a losing run of six games, which has seen the end of manager Liam Rosenior, with Calum McFarlane in temporary charge.
When the likes of Brentford and Bournemouth are punching above their weight and pushing for European football, this Premier League fixture sounds like a clash between two clubs which should be way ahead. But they aren’t.
Take a quick look at the Premier League table and you’ll see why. Liverpool and Chelsea have lost 24 league matches this term between them. Liverpool lost to arch-rivals Manchester United last week to make it 11 for the campaign, while Chelsea’s 13th defeat came against relegation battlers Nottingham Forest on Monday.
The Premier League 2026 betting odds say the Reds can win this one and inflict a seventh consecutive league defeat on the Blues, and I’m inclined to agree.
Talking Points
Liverpool’s problems are not all self-inflicted
Slot’s Liverpool look highly likely to earn Champions League football with a six-point cushion over sixth place with three games to play. But having shelled out over £400 million on players last summer, a fact the Dutch coach is sick of hearing, that doesn’t impress me much. However, Liverpool’s malaise is not all Slot’s fault.
The sadness which shrouded Anfield at the start of the campaign following the tragic passing of Diogo Jota has undoubtedly had a significant impact on the players, particularly those who played with the Portuguese star, and that is something they will never fully recover from.
But there is no hiding from the fact that Liverpool’s new recruits have failed to reach the heights the fans hoped for. Of the Reds’ most expensive 2025 signings, Florian Wirtz has shown plenty of signs that he is a world-class player, but without the impact his £100 million plus fee demands.
Striker Alexander Isak has been injured for much of the campaign. Hungarian wing-back Milos Kerkez has been a shadow of the player he was at Bournemouth. Meanwhile, his countryman Dominik Szoboszlai has produced numerous Premier League 2026 highlights, scoring again in the loss to Manchester United.
What is Boehly’s strategy at Chelsea?
Chelsea’s last league victory came over two months ago over Aston Villa. Since then, they have crashed out of Europe and lost every league match. The Blues have been woeful in the Premier League, but they have made the FA Cup final on 16th May, when they will meet Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, and that might well be Chelsea’s best bet of European football next season. And against Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing team, that is a huge gamble.
Since taking over in 2022, American business magnate Todd Boehly has invested billions in the playing squad while working his way through eight managers, including the disastrous recruitments of Graham Potter and Liam Rosenior. His best appointment Enzo Maresca, who delivered two trophies, left in January, and things have gone downhill since.
The Blues reached a low point on Monday, as they lost at home to lowly Nottingham Forest, conceding two goals within 15 minutes, and that against a team with eight changes in its starting XI, as manager Vitor Pereira has one eye on a Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa.
At least Joao Pedro ended a nine-hour goal drought in the 3-1 loss. But Cole Palmer, so prolific last season, missed a penalty, which shows acutely where Chelsea are right now.
History
The historical head-to-heads between Liverpool and Chelsea show that a ding-dong battle has been raging between these two mega clubs, which the Blues are edging with 32 wins to 28, and there have been 26 draws. At Anfield, the Londoners have had a fair amount of success too with nine victories, 13 draws, and 16 losses in 38 visits to Liverpool.
When the two teams met at Stamford Bridge in October, Estevao scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner to give Chelsea a 2-1 victory in happier times for the Blues.
Liverpool have won three and lost three of the last six games in all competitions, while Chelsea have won two and lost four, but have lost their last six Premier League outings.
Betting Tip
Chelsea are at SBOTOP odds of 3.40 to win this clash, and the Draw is at 3.95, so the Blues talented young squad have a chance to get a result, as they always have.
But against Nottingham Forest’s second string, they looked totally lost in the first half, and I think they will struggle against a much better set of players.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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