Liverpool vs Chelsea: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news and prediction | OneFootball

Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday, looking to strengthen their position in the race for Champions League qualification.

The Reds lost 3-2 to Manchester United last time out, but remain fourth in the table. They are level on points with fifth-placed Aston Villa.

Chelsea suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, ending their hopes of qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition.

Match preview

Liverpool have one of the strongest home records in the division, with only four teams gathering more points on their own patch.

They have lost just one of their last 10 league home games against the visitors (W4, D5).

The Reds need four more points to guarantee qualification for the Champions League heading into this weekend’s fixtures.

Liverpool will look to attack from the flanks, aiming to exploit Chelsea’s weakness out wide. The hosts will try to dominate possession, but will need to be careful of turnovers.

The Blues have lost their last six top-flight matches, ranking bottom on the form table.

This fixture offers them the chance to gain momentum ahead of next weekend’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture, but have not done a league double over the Reds since the 2013/14 season.

The Blues could look to maintain a compact shape and force turnovers, exploiting the spaces behind Liverpool’s full-backs.

Team news

Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate are doubts for this clash.

Giorgi Mamardashvili, Mohamed Salah, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo are also on the sidelines.

Chelsea will be without Robert Sanchez and Jesse Derry, both of whom suffered head injuries against Forest.

Estevao and Jamie Gittens are ruled out, while Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are doubtful.

Interim manager Calum McFarlane has confirmed that Reece James and Levi Colwill are in contention to start.

Predicted line-ups

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Freddie Woodman, Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominic Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Rio Ngumoha, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Filip Jorgensen, Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro.

Prediction

We predict a 2-1 win for Liverpool.

Stats from transfermarkt.com, who scored.com & sofascore.com.