Arne Slot's side suffered a painful 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last weekend, missing the opportunity to confirm a top-five finish, while Chelsea's miserable run continued with a 3-1 home loss to Nottingham Forest — their sixth consecutive league defeat.
Liverpool head into this clash under pressure after throwing away a chance to strengthen their Champions League position at Old Trafford. Despite recovering from two goals down against Manchester United, the Reds ultimately fell short after Kobbie Mainoo's late winner sealed victory for the hosts.
Slot was furious after the match, particularly over a controversial Benjamin Sesko handball incident, but Liverpool's overall performance did little to justify complaints. Their Expected Goals tally of 0.89 compared to United's 2.34 highlighted how second-best they were for long stretches.
Even so, Liverpool remain in a strong position. Fourth in the table with 58 points, they sit six ahead of Bournemouth and seven clear of Brentford. Victory over Chelsea, combined with dropped points for Bournemouth against Fulham, would officially secure Champions League football for next season.
Anfield has remained one of Liverpool's major strengths. The Reds have collected 10 points from the last 12 available on home soil, although defensive vulnerabilities remain evident, with only one clean sheet in their last seven league matches.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are arriving on Merseyside in complete disarray. The Blues are currently the worst-performing team in the Premier League over the last six rounds, losing every single match during that stretch.
Defeats to Newcastle United, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Brighton and Nottingham Forest have crushed any lingering hopes of a top-five finish. Monday's loss to Forest was particularly disappointing, as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice before Igor Jesus added another to leave Chelsea beaten before Joao Pedro's stoppage-time consolation.
Now sitting ninth, Chelsea are mathematically out of the Champions League race through league position. However, there is still a slim possibility of qualification through league permutations involving Aston Villa and the Europa League.
Their current form, though, hardly suggests a late revival is coming. Another defeat here would mark Chelsea's second-ever run of seven consecutive league losses, something they have not experienced since 1952.
Interestingly, Chelsea have already beaten Liverpool twice in 2025, including a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge earlier in the campaign. However, Liverpool have won the last two meetings between the sides at Anfield.
Team News
Liverpool continue to battle several injury concerns. Hugo Ekitike remains sidelined with a long-term Achilles injury, while Alexander Isak is a doubt after suffering a minor groin issue before the Manchester United game.There is better news regarding Giorgi Mamardashvili, who could return from a knee injury, while Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate are both expected to be available despite recent absences from training.
However, Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah are still unavailable, while Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo remain out.
Chelsea's defeat to Nottingham Forest also came with injury concerns. Young attacker Jesse Derry suffered a worrying head injury after colliding with Zach Abbott and was stretchered off the pitch.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is also expected to miss out after a separate collision with Morgan Gibbs-White, meaning Filip Jorgensen should start in goal.
Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are doubtful, while Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian and Mykhaylo Mudryk are unavailable.
Possible Starting Lineups
Liverpool:Woodman; Jones, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Frimpong, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Gakpo
Chelsea:
Jorgensen; James, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella; Santos, Caicedo, Lavia; Fernandez; Pedro, Delap
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
