Chelsea vs Liverpool Prediction: Reds to best Palmer-less Blues

The Premier League's Saturday teatime kick-off (17:30 BST, Sky Sports Main Event) this weekend sees two of the division's heavyweights, Chelsea and Liverpool, battle it out at Stamford Bridge. Both sides will be looking to get back on track following recent defeats in the competition.

Below are my Chelsea vs Liverpool predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Cole Palmer (groin) will miss a fourth consecutive match due to injury.

Tosin Adarabioyo (calf), Levi Colwill (knee), Liam Delap (hamstring), Dario Essugo (thigh), Wesley Fofana (concussion) and Andrey Santos (concussion) are all expected to sit out again, too, while Trevoh Chalobah is suspended following his red card in last Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

However, Robert Sanchez is set to return between the sticks after sitting out last weekend's loss due to a ban of his own.

Football Odds

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has been ruled out of Saturday's trip to west London after suffering a hamstring injury in Tuesday's 1-0 Uefa Champions League defeat to Galatasaray. The Brazilian was withdrawn in the 56th minute, and Giorgi Mamardashvili, who replaced the Reds No. 1 in Istanbul, is now set to make his Premier League debut, at Stamford Bridge no less.

Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister are all expected to return to Arne Slot's starting XI after being deployed as second-half substitutes in midweek.

Federico Chiesa, meanwhile, didn't travel to Turkey due to a minor issue, but is expected to make Saturday's squad, along with Hugo Ekitike (hamstring), who was taken off in the 68th minute on Tuesday as a precaution.

Italian defender Giovanni Leoni (knee) is sidelined for the rest of the season.

Today's Football Fixtures

Chelsea vs Liverpool Odds

Chelsea beat Benfica 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, but the Blues have lost their last two Premier League games and three of their last five in all competitions. The Blues are 15/8 underdogs to win on Saturday, implying a 34.8% probability of success, while Liverpool are 5/4, or a 44.4% chance, to return to winning ways.

The draw is priced at 11/4, both teams to score at 4/9, and over 2.5 total goals at 8/15.

Betfred are offering several Price Boosts on this game, including Liverpool to Win Both Halves at 7/1 (was 6/1).

Match Result & Both Teams To Score - Liverpool & Yes @ 13/5

A trip to Stamford Bridge is hardly ideal after losing your last two matches, both without scoring, but Liverpool should be buoyed by the fact that the Blues are missing Palmer and several others.

The Reds, on the other hand, are only missing one starter, Alisson, and can replace him with Georgian international Mamardashvili, who earned a reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in Spain during his time with Valencia.

Saturday's game, then, looks like a great opportunity for Liverpool to strike back and put the last two games behind them.

Player for player, Liverpool look too strong for Chelsea, but given the Reds' recent troubles at the back, I'm expecting the hosts to at least net a consolation at the Bridge.

The Reds haven't kept a clean sheet in their last five games across all competitions, and have only stopped the opposition scoring twice in 10 matches this season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have scored in their last five Premier League games, including in back-to-back defeats to Manchester United and Brighton.

Price Boosts - Virgil van Dijk (LIV) 1+ Shot on Target, 1+ Foul Committed & 1+ Tackle @ 17/2 10/1

This selection was close to landing when the sides last met in May, with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk scoring with one of his three shots and earning a yellow card for a foul made on Romeo Lavia. The Dutch centre-back failed to record a tackle, however, although he did end the Premier League season with an average of one tackle per game, which offers hope ahead of the Merseyside club's visit to west London this weekend.

Van Dijk has made a tackle in half (three) of his six Premier League appearances this term, including two of Liverpool's three away outings.

Brighton centre-backs Lewis Dunk (one) and Jan Paul van Hecke (four) made five tackles between them against Chelsea last Saturday, and in the match before that, Chelsea saw Manchester United's back three of Matthijs de Ligt (two), Harry Maguire (one) and Luke Shaw (three) record six between them; in fact, of the 16 Premier League centre-backs who have started against the Blues this season, only West Ham United duo Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo have failed to make a tackle.

Van Dijk averaged a foul every other game in the top flight last season, and he has given away a free-kick in his side's last two away matches in the competition.

On Saturday, the 34-year-old will be in close contact with Chelsea striker Joao Pedro, who averaged 1.7 fouls won per game in the Premier League last season for Brighton, and is averaging 2.2 fouls won per game with the club he joined in June; at least one opposition centre-back has upended him in the last three matches.

The last time Van Dijk and Joao Pedro played each other, in a 2-2 draw between Brighton and Liverpool at the Amex Stadium in October 2023, the Dutchman committed two fouls on the Brazilian, one in the 10th minute and the other in the 31st.

So, that's tackles and fouls discussed; now we move on to shots on target.

Van Dijk has only registered one shot on target in the Premier League this season, but that did result in a goal, in the opening-day 4-2 victory over AFC Bournemouth on August 15, while he has also found the net in the Champions League, in the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on September 17.

I've spoken on several occasions this season about Chelsea's vulnerabilities from set-pieces, with opposition defenders regularly getting their heads to deliveries into the box, and the absence of the suspended Chalobah won't help their case on Saturday.

Four of the last five Premier League center-backs Chelsea have faced have recorded a shot, and while none of those four managed to direct their efforts on target, it doesn't bode well ahead of the visit of Van Dijk, who will expect to at least test Sanchez in goal if provided with an opportunity.

Offers

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