Liverpool and Chelsea will go head to head at Anfield as they both seek to close in on their top-four objectives.

Preview

Liverpool and Chelsea will be involved in a battle at Anfield on Thursday night with a place in the top-four on offer ahead of the weekend's Premier League action. Both clubs have had a hefty share of struggles this season but are keen on making amends as fast as possible with the conclusion of the campaign swiftly approaching. For the host, the game will present them with the opportunity to get a successive winning run after their recent blip that pushed them further down the perking order.

Prior to last weekend's 2-0 victory over Sheffield United, Jurgen Klopp's side had recorded four successive defeats, three of which came inside their once-feared Anfield Stadium. Firstly, a defeat against Burnley ended their impressive 68-game unbeaten home record, paving the way for Brighton and Man City to all pick up victories at the venue.

These outcomes ended up pushing the Reds farther down the league table into a position where defending their status as reigning champions was impossible. At the moment, the sit in fifth on the league log with 43 points and should be able to work their way back into the top-four with a win over Chelsea.

Although Liverpool will approach the upcoming clash with a record of their worst-ever run in 93 years fresh in mind, they should have enough motivation to potentially see off the Blues. The game is theirs to lose as so far, only two teams have picked up more points at home than the reigning Premier League champions. This, coupled with the fact that they could fall to their fifth home defeat of the season for the first time in their history, makes the need to get the win a hugely significant one.

Nevertheless, to curb the possibility of this will come with a catch as their opponent from London has proven to be a handful in recent weeks. Since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea have hardly put a foot wrong, with their worst result thus far being a draw. The Blues have registered six wins and three draws from the nine games played with him as the club's manager.

They have been as resolute at the back as they have been potent in attack, conceding just two goals since the German took over the club while scoring 10. Against Liverpool, they will go into the game with another cleansheet in the bag after the 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. While a win will do the Londoners a world of good, the odds are firmly in their host's favor due to multiple factors.

For starters, they will be required to end their poor form at Anfield, having failed to pick up a win at the venue since 2014. Jurgen Klopp is also a familiar face to Thomas Tuchel with the former Borussia Dortmund coaches meeting 14 times in their respective managerial careers. It is the former who have been the most successful, winning nine games and recording defeats on only two occasions. 

Team news

Liverpool will still be without Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Caoimhin Kelleher when they welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Thursday. The Reds have, however, had a boost in personel with Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Fabinho all set to return to the squadlist. 

For Chelsea, Thiago Silva is ruled out of contention while Tammy Abraham remains a doubt. Meanwhile, Callum Hudson-Odoi has shaken off the knee injury he picked up in the meeting with Manchester United and could potentially feature in the starting line up. 

Predicted starting XI

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Fabinho, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kante, Chilwell; Havertz, Mount; Werner.

Broadcast information

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Liverpool 0 - 1 Chelsea

March 4, 2021 3:15pmAnfield (Liverpool)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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