Two big clubs in desperate need of points meet at Anfield as Liverpool and Chelsea clash in early Premier League play on Saturday.

These two clubs sit ninth and 10th in the Premier League table respectively, a far cry from where they expect to be. Chelsea have just two wins in their last 10 matches across all competitions, while Liverpool are yet to win in league play this month.

Both sides are suffering through a horrible injury crisis, with Chelsea especially struggling. The Blues are nearly able to field an entire team of just injured or suspended players, with a host of attacking talent on the sidelines. Liverpool too have key players missing, and it’s clearly affected both sides this season.

A win here would be massive both tangibly on the table and towards building momentum for the rest of the league season, as they each look to rescue a fight for European places.

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Liverpool vs Chelsea odds

Given the poor form of each team lately, it’s surprising to see the odds so skewed towards the home side, but indeed, Liverpool are minus-odds favorites at Anfield, where they typically are much better than away from home. Chelsea, meanwhile, are nearly 3/1 underdogs on the road.

Goals are expected in this match, which often happens when big clubs meet, but that’s not necessarily a guarantee. These two teams played to a scoreless draw in two consecutive Cup meetings prior to Saturday’s match, and have scored under 2.5 goals in five of their last six matchups across all competitions.

Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Neds (Australia).

Liverpool vs Chelsea: 3 things to know

Liverpool vs Chelsea match facts

• Date: Saturday, January 21
• Kickoff Time: 7:30 am ET / 12:30 pm GMT / 11:30 pm AEDT
• Location: Anfield (Liverpool, England)
• Official: Michael Oliver

Liverpool vs Chelsea team news

You’d be hard pressed to find a combined injury list between two opponents this long in recent years. It’s ugly reading for both participants.

The hosts are at least better off than thier opponents, but the absentees will still sting. Stalwart defender Virgil van Dijk is missing with a hamstring injury, out for a number of weeks, while attackers Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota continue to rehab long-term injuries. Darwin Nunez was thought to take a larger role in their absence, but he has missed the last two matches with a hamstring injury. Nunez returned to training so he could be involved in some capacity. Harvey Elliott could also be a miss after suffering a knock in the midweek FA Cup match, and the likes of Arthur and Roberto Firmino won’t be involved.

Grab a drink and sit down, the Chelsea absentee list will take a bit. New boy Joao Felix is suspended for three matches after his straight red card against Fulham last time out on debut. N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, and Raheem Sterling are all out for at least a few more weeks, while Edouard Mendy isn’t ready to return from his broken finger yet. Wesley Fofana is nearing his return from a knee injury but needs about another week before that can take place. Reece James received good news about his recovery time, but is unlikely to return for this match, while Ben Chilwell returned to training and could be worked back into the mix. Armando Broja is a long way off after tearing his ACL.

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Liverpool vs Chelsea key stats

• According to Premier Injuries, Chelsea’s 10 current injured players are the most in the Premier League. Chelsea also suffered the most injuries last season, with 97 of the 1,231 injuries across the 2021/22 Premier League season, according to the BBC.
• The last four matches between these clubs across all competitions have all ended level after regulation, with a pair of Premier League draws plus a penalty shootout in each of the domestic Cup competitions.
• These two clubs have played 285 consecutive minutes of action without a goal scored by either team, dating back to Christian Pulisic’s 45th minute goal in the 2-2 draw last January. The sides played a full second half in that game scoreless, plus two 120-minute scoreless affairs in the FA Cup and EFL Cup since.

Liverpool vs Chelsea prediction

• Moneyline lean: Chelsea (+290)
• Against the spread lean: Chelsea +0.5 (-110)
• Score prediction: Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea

Both these teams are on a very poor run of form, but if you really dig deep and assess the results, it’s Liverpool who should be far more worried. The Reds were extremely lucky to beat Wolves in FA Cup action last time out, beaten on expected goals 1.53-0.16, only scoring on a worldie from Harvey Elliott. They were thumped in each of their last two Premier League matches by a combined 6-1 against Brighton and Brentford, and they were leaky in each of their four league wins before that, conceding over 1.0 xG to Tottenham, Southampton, and Aston Villa plus 0.86 xGA to Leicester City at home.

Chelsea, while poor at times for sure, at least can point to a few bright spots. They dominated Crystal Palace last time out and deserved to win, and they pummeled Fulham to no profit in the match before. The draw with Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day was ugly, but they still came out slightly ahead on expected goals and had chances to win.

Neither side have been “good” but Chelsea have more signs of life than Liverpool of late, and for that reason backing the Blues at good value as visitors to Anfield is a sensible move.

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Liverpool vs Chelsea: best bet

• Pick: Chelsea double chance
• Odds: -110 (BetMGM)

As mentioned above, it’s sensible to back Chelsea to win at nearly 3/1 odds. It’s tough to win at Anfield though, and given these sides have drawn in each of their last four games, a draw is also a highly likely result.

Getting Chelsea here at nearly even odds to come away with any result at all is a great offer, and a sensible one to pull, if you’re not confident enough to back the Blues to win with their gigantic injury list.

Liverpool vs Chelsea prop bet

• Pick: Cody Gakpo 2+ shots on target
• Odds: +200 (BetMGM)

Cody Gakpo has been thrust into the Liverpool attack earlier than Jurgen Klopp probably would have liked thanks to the various injuries. As a result, he was poor in his debut against Brighton, barely involved in the disjointed Liverpool attack. He was better against Wolves in the FA Cup, however, and managed to rip off a few good shots when the rest of his teammates continued to falter.

With Mohamed Salah now back into the side, Gakpo should have better service in front of goal. This play will be even better if Darwin Nunez can’t prove fit for the match, but even if he does, Gakpo should look to get involved up front in a hurry. As a wide player for PSV, Gakpo averaged 1.9 shots on target per match in Eredivisie play, and 3.6 shots per game overall, so moving centrally should only see those already high numbers increase further.

Liverpool vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel

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