Chelsea play Liverpool a little under 48 hours after the sacking of Graham Potter, which marked another chapter in a bizarre season for the club.
Potter joins Thomas Tuchel on the list of managers moved on since Todd Boehly’s arrival in West London, which has also seen the club spend over £500 million pounds. While it’s all rather shambolic, it isn’t surprising given the Blues’ form under the ex-Brighton gaffer. A 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa left them in 11th place and signalled the end of his reign.
Rather fittingly, Jurgen Klopp is the longest-reigning manager in the Premier League, but Liverpool come into the game with their season on the brink of collapse. A 4-1 loss at Manchester City in their last league fixture sees them in 8th and at serious risk of missing out on Champions League qualification.
With so much history between the clubs, it is certain to be a cracker, and you can find out all the important details below.
When do Chelsea play Liverpool?
The match takes place on Tuesday 4th April with a kick-off time of 8pm (UK time).
Where will Chelsea vs Liverpool be played?
The match will be played at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have not beaten Liverpool since May 2018.
Where can you watch Chelsea vs Liverpool?
The match is Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football offering and, as such, will be shown on both Sky Sports Main Event (Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 401) and Sky Sports Premier League (Sky channel 502 and Virgin channel 402).
Coverage starts on both at 7pm and given the turmoil at Chelsea, there should be some interesting chat.
How can you live stream Chelsea vs Liverpool?
With the match on Sky Sports, it will also be available to view on Sky Go on mobile/computer/tablet.
Of course, you will need a Sky subscription for this.
Chelsea vs Liverpool history
The two clubs have shared one of English football’s best rivalries over the last 20 years, with numerous finals, semi-finals and high-profile league clashes as well as some shocking transfers.
Prior to the early 2000s, there was little animosity between the clubs with a geographical distance and different positions in the league table keeping them apart from one another. Kenny Dalglish did win his first title as player-manager of Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in 1986, scoring the winning goal nonetheless, but that was about it.
Things changed when Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea, a decision that was allegedly decided by the Blues’ victory over Liverpool on the final day of the 2002/03 season, which was more or less a play-off for the final Champions League spot.
His first league game as owner came at Anfield, with the Blues’ securing their first win there under the Premier League banner.
The arrivals of Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez (who also later managed Chelsea) at the respective clubs truly kickstarted a rivalry, with the clubs clashing 16 times in the three-and-a-half years prior to The Special One’s departure.
The 2005 League Cup saw Chelsea prevail, as did most of the league games, but Liverpool reigned supreme in three semi-finals: 2005 and 2007 in the Champions League, 2006 in the FA Cup.
Amazingly, the clubs met in five consecutive Champions League seasons from 2004/05 to 2008/09, with Chelsea gaining a semblance revenge in 2008 and 2009.
The clubs later met in the 2012 FA Cup final, which Chelsea won, but the rivalry had dissipated by then as Liverpool fell off and Chelsea continued to compete for major honours (the 2013/14 title race was an exception and one which saw Steven Gerrard slip against, you guessed, it Chelsea).
This was symbolised by the then-British record transfer of Fernando Torres from Anfield to Stamford Bridge in January 2011. Trophies came with Chelsea, but he never came near to the form that made him a Liverpool icon.
Other players to play for both clubs since the turn of the century include Mo Salah, Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Yossi Benayoun, Victor Moses, Glen Johnson, Raul Meireles and Daniel Sturridge, all of whom had varying degrees of success in red and blue. The most recent player to don both colours is Raheem Sterling, who joined Chelsea last summer from Man City. Expect a less than pleasant reception from the away end.
Last season saw the clubs clash once again in domestic finals, both in fact. It was a cruel case of deja-vu for Chelsea as they lost both FA and League Cup finals on penalties following 0-0 stalemates after 120 minutes.
Overall Head to Head record
The clubs have met on 193 occasions, with Spurs holding the upper hand with 84 wins to Everton’s 65. The other 44 encounters between the pair have ended in draws via 11v11.
Last five meetings (all competitions)
21st January 2023: Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea – Premier League
14th May 2022: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool (Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties) – FA Cup final
27th February 2022: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool (Liverpool win 11-10 on penalties) – League Cup final
2nd January 2022: Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool – Premier League
28th August 2021: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea – Premier League
Chelsea vs Liverpool Team News
Such is the size of Chelsea’s squad, one would forget that the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Armando Broja are unlikely to feature again this season. Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilcueta and Edouard Mendy’s absence have been more keenly felt, and none will feature in Tuesday’s game.
Wesley Fofana and Raheem Sterling could make the bench as they continue their comeback from injury.
Liverpool remain without Thiago, Naby Keita and Stefan Bajcetic which has their midfield looking extremely light. Luis Diaz is back in training but is unlikely to make the trip to West London given he’s been out since before the World Cup.
Stefan Bajcetic
via Premier Injuries
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea Predicted Starting XI: Kepa; James, Fofana, Koulibaily, Cucurella, Chilwell; Kovacic, Fernandez; Havertz, Mudryk, Felix
Liverpool Predicted Starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Elliot; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
Match prediction
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Liverpool have been very poor on the road this season and with Chelsea in crisis, a draw seems the most likely outcome.
