Liverpool v Chelsea
English Premier League
Anfield, Liverpool, England
Sunday, 21 April, 2013
Kick-off: 16:00 GMT
Chelsea will be looking to consolidate in the top four as they face a very difficult away trip to Liverpool this Sunday, with the home side chasing a guaranteed Europa League position for next season.
Liverpool Preview
Liverpool will back themselves to beat any team at home and they have a great record heading into the game, which makes them a good online betting option. They have eight wins, four draws and four defeats with a goal difference if plus sixteen.
Injuries and Suspensions
Joe Allen and Fabio Borini remain out of action with shoulder problems, while John Flanagan and Martin Kelly are both likely to miss out with knee niggles.
Raheem Sterling is pushing to be fit following a thigh problem and Brazilian Lucas should retain his place in the middle. Rodgers told the Liverpool website on Sterling’s fitness:
“He’s a very young player so we don’t want to risk any long-term injury when there’s no need. Of course you would rather have him in the squad.”
Liverpool are rated as a 2.10 shot to win this match with the bookies.
Chelsea Preview
Chelsea’s away form is where they have suffered this season with five defeats away from Stamford Bridge and a defence which is currently the worst out of all the sides holding top four positions. Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez told the Daily Mail:
“We have eight or nine games to play and everyone has to be on his toes and ready to play and perform.”
Injuries and Suspensions
Defenders Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill are both unlikely to play while Marko Marin has just returned to training following the midweek win over Fulham. Oriol Romeu remains out until at least the summer with a knee problem he picked up just before Christmas.
Chelsea have odds of 3.40 for the win.
Liverpool v Chelsea Statistics
An interesting stat is Liverpool’s goals for record this season at home, which is six goals better than Tottenham, eight points ahead of Liverpool in the table. Liverpool will be looking to improve on a record which has seen them drop points in 20 matches over the season.
Chelsea have been scoring goals for fun away from home, only Manchester United and Spurs have scored more. However, it’s their defensive stats which have seen them lost points in eight away games so far this year.
Head to Head
Liverpool completely dominate the head-to-head record of these teams at Anfield with 49 wins out of the 75 matches these teams have played each other on Merseyside. Liverpool thrashed Chelsea 4-1 in this fixture last season.
Recent Form
Liverpool are yet to register a win this month following 0-0 draws against West Ham and Reading. However, they made only one slip up throughout March which was the 3-1 away defeat at Southampton.
Back-to-back wins have been secured for Chelsea this month with a 2-1 win at home against Sunderland before a 3-0 victory in the West London derby against Fulham. Chelsea too only lost one match last month which was also away at Southampton.
Liverpool v Chelsea Prediction
Liverpool have the edge here because of the fact they didn’t play midweek, meaning Chelsea have had less time to recover. Both teams are unaffected in terms of injuries to attacking players which should see both sides score.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
Back this score at odds of 9.00 or you can compare betting odds here to find more odds of your liking.
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