Sunday’s meeting between Chelsea and Liverpool will be the fourth time these two sides have faced each other this season having played against one another in the Capital One Cup semi-finals. The Blues have won two against Brendan Rodgers’ side and drawn one, but with the title already secure, will Jose Mourinho’s men take their foot off the gas?
If this game is something of a dead rubber for Chelsea, Liverpool desperately need a win if they are to keep their slender hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive. Four points separate the Reds from bitter rivals Manchester United who currently reside in fourth place and with three games to go, the battle for fourth could go down to the last game of the season.
However, Liverpool have been fairly poor of late, losing three from their last six, including a surprise 1-0 defeat at the hands of Hull City, a run which has piled the pressure on Brendan Rodgers with some fans clamouring for a return of Rafa Benitez. The Reds have a poor record against the top sides this season and we can’t see Mourinho accepting anything less than a 100% performance from his troops as the season draws to a close.
With Daniel Sturridge still suffering from injury, it is likely that we’ll see Raheem Sterling played through the middle up front, whilst Mamadou Sakho also remains injured which is sure to leave holes at the back. As for Chelsea, Ramires and Oscar remain doubts but Chelsea aren’t short of cover in the midfield area and their absence shouldn’t be too much of a loss.
Chelsea v Liverpool Betting Tips
- Chelsea to win – Jose Mourinho has won eight and lost just two matches in the Premier League against Liverpool during his two spells in charge of the west London side and we think his impressive record will continue. The Blues are excellent at home and with Liverpool looking a bit out of sorts we’re backing a home win at odds of 11/10 with Sky Bet.
- Didier Drogba to score first – With Diego Costa still out injured, Didier Drogba will once again likely be played up top and the big Ivorian striker seems to love playing against Liverpool. He regularly scores against the Reds and scored one of the best volleys in Premier League history against them during his first stint at the club. Drogba can be backed at 6/1 with BetVictor.
- Both teams to score – Liverpool are a really exciting team to watch when they click and although they have been patchy of late, we still think that they have enough about them to grab a goal at Stamford Bridge. However, defensively, they still aren’t the best and you can back BTTS at 20/23 with Betfair.
- Raheem Sterling to score at anytime – If speculation is to be believed this may well be one of Sterling’s last games at Liverpool and he will be doing all he can to impress potential suitors. With 11 goals this season, the England international can be backed at odds of 3/1 with Bet365 to score at anytime.