EPL: Liverpool Vs Chelsea - Preview, team news and expected lineups

Add as a preferred source on Google

Liverpool, Jan 31: English Premier League giants Liverpool FC lock horns against league leaders and giants Chelsea FC in a crucial game week 23 encounter on Tuesday, January 31, night.

All leagues special site; EPL game week 23 schedule

Chelsea are comfortably present at the top of the league table with 55 points from 22 matches, while Liverpool, due to a sudden drop in form are in the fourth position with 45 points from as many matches.

Until last week, Liverpool were comfortably placed at the second place but a defeat against relegation-threatened Swansea City changed all equation.

Also in the past week, we saw the Reds crashing out of the English Football League Cup and FA Cup losing to Southampton and Wolverhampton respectively.

Chelsea, on the other hand, are flawless so far in this season and have a comfortable lead of 8 points at the top of the table.

Goes without saying, the Blues are firm favourites to lift the title this time.

Kick-off: 1:30 AM (IST)

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool

Match will be telecasted LIVE on Star Networks and Hotstar

Team News

Liverpool will be glad to welcome back their star attackers Sadio Mane who is finally back from the African Cup of Nations.

Sadio Mane's absence was felt prominently as Liverpool's attack struggled heavily and failed to score goals in vital matches.

Similarly, another star player who will be back is Joel Matip in the backline. Liverpool's defense has displayed some horrifying performance in the past month which is also responsible for their downfall.

Adam Lallana is expected to comeback in this match. He had suffered an injury last week but will be back in this crucial match.

Chelsea does not have a single injury concern which means Antonio Conte is likely to field his strongest possible XI and make sure they pick up full points against Liverpool.

Predicted XIs

Liverpool

Formation: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet

Defenders: Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, James Milner

Midfielders: Jordan Henderson (c), Emre Can, Adam Lallana

Strikers: Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho

Chelsea FC

Formation: 3-4-3

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill

Midfielders: Victor Moses, N'Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic, Marcos Alonso

Strikers: Pedro, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard

Prediction

Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea

OneIndia News