Premier League: The Biggest Mid-Table Clash Ever

Liverpool vs Chelsea

In recent seasons, the Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Chelsea would have been one of the biggest draws in football and, believe me, there is plenty of interest in it this time around but for rather different reasons.

The Anfield Reds and the Stamford Blues are not challenging for the 2023 league title. In fact, they will be very lucky to make a top four place. They sit in ninth and tenth positions and a full 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United who are on an impressive winning run.

If you still think either of these two giants can claw their way into the title race then you can get SBOTOP odds of 151.00 on Liverpool and 501.00 on Chelsea, but that’s not for me!

But with 20 games to go, both teams still hold out ambitions to reach the top four, and they will need a sharp upturn in form.       

Chelsea come into the game on the back of a much-needed 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Liverpool went down 3-0 to Brighton, leaving the two teams tied on 28 points.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds then overcame Wolves with a narrow victory in the FA Cup third round replay on Tuesday night, giving them some momentum ahead of this mid-table clash.

Talking Points

Is takeover talk a distraction to Reds?

Klopp is a brilliant manager and strategist and his players have proved they can achieve to the very highest standard with ultimate professionalism, but we’re all human.

His best players are getting older and the financial merry-go-round – which never stops turning off the pitch – is high on the agenda for Liverpool fans, and it must be on the players’ minds.

Liverpool was put up for sale by owners, the Fenway Sports Group, last year amidst frustrations by the fans that the club lacked ambition when compared with Manchester City and the newly-rich Newcastle United.

And now Chelsea are blowing the Reds out of the water in the transfer market since the arrival of Todd Boehly in Summer, as the Blues have spent just £32-M less than Liverpool have in the last 10 transfer windows combined.

And the outcome of Liverpool’s recent caution in the market is an aging team. The two marquee signings of centre-back Virgil van Dijk and keeper Alisson Becker back in 2018 are now 31 and 30 years old, while star striker Mohamed Salah is 30, and his two former strike partners are absent, Roberto Firmino injured and Sadio Mane in Munich.

The big money signing of striker Darwin Nunez is yet to pay off but, on a brighter note, Harvey Elliott is back to full fitness and he scored a screamer in Pool’s 1-0 win over Wolves and is pushing for a start against Chelsea.    

Boehly addressing Chelsea player crisis

It may seem laughable to fans of teams with more modest means but Chelsea, the club famed for big spending and loaning out 40 players, has been short in numbers certainly in their First XI after a run of injuries to key players hit hard.      

Chelsea boss Potter has won nine of his 20 games in charge, but he has lost seven and drawn just four, though the loss of players of the calibre of N’Golo Kante, Reece James, and Wesley Fofana, to name just three, hasn’t helped.  

In terms of off-field Premier League 2023 news, the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk last weekend raised some eyebrows, as the Blues desperately need a striker. But the Ukranian is unproven at the highest level.

And now reports in the UK suggest Chelsea are aiming to bring in Inter Milan wing-back Denzel Dumfries, tabling a bid of £31-M for the Netherlands star, who was outstanding in defence and attack at the World Cup and would be competition for the 23-year-old James.

I don’t expect Mudryk to start on Saturday and Kai Havertz, who scored the winner against Palace, will continue to lead the line with Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech supplying the ammunition.

History

These two teams are struggling at the moment but they have had a fantastic tussle in the Premier League era with Chelsea edging the head-to-heads by 31 victories to Liverpool’s 30.

But the Reds had two massive wins over the Blues last season, winning both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals on penalties, while both league games in the 2021/22 campaign resulted in a draw. 

Despite their troubles, Liverpool have been very strong at Anfield, winning six, drawing two, and losing just one on home soil, and are unbeaten in their last five on Merseyside.

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2023 betting odds are backing a home win at a price of 1.83, while Chelsea are at 3.78 and the draw is at 3.49.

Both teams will be encouraged by their recent wins and shutouts. But each of Liverpool’s last six games have yielded three goals or more, and I can see the Reds winning by the odd goal in three.    

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.