Liverpool vs. Chelsea EPL betting, free tips and bookie bonuses

Wednesday, February 1, 2017, 7am, Anfield, Liverpool, watch on Optus Sport.

Table position:
Liverpool: Fourth
Chelsea: Top

Season record:
Liverpool: 13-6-3
Chelsea: 18-1-3

Last five match results:
Liverpool: LDDWW
Chelsea: WWLWW

Win Draw Win odds:
Liverpool: $2.50 with WilliamHill.com.au
Draw: $3.40 with WilliamHill.com.au
Chelsea: $2.70 with WilliamHill.com.au

POWER clubs Liverpool and Chelsea meet in a midweek Premier League clash that will have all eyes on it.

Chelsea is flying at the top of the table, now eight points ahead of its nearest rival Arsenal.

But its opponent, Liverpool, missed a golden opportunity to leapfrog Arsenal and Tottenham into second spot and cut the Pensioners’ lead to seven points when they lost to Swansea on the weekend.

It really was a shocking loss against the Swans on Liverpool’s home deck and could have put paid to their title hopes.

The defending at the back and in the centre of midfield was woeful as they allowed Swansea so much time and space to do whatever they wanted with.

Roberto Firmino provided the brightest spots, scoring both the goals, but that only put the Reds back on level pegging with the Swans after Fernando Llorent struck a double within four minutes after half time.

Once the goals came from Firmino, Liverpool should have run away with it, but lax defending again proved the achilles heel and they were burned on the counter attack by some pretty ball movement and an expert finish from Gylfi Sigurdsson that gave Swansea all three points.

And while it was bad news on the field on the weekend, the news off it could not be better at the Kop, with star Philippe Coutinho reportedly agreeing to a ridiculous mega deal that will keep him at Liverpool for the next five years.

Good mates with Neymar, he has been touted as a possible target for Barcelona in the off season, so this is huge news for Liverpool fans. And he has some form against Chelsea, firing in a brace to give them a 3-1 win in October 2015.

And a lot could defend on Senegal’s efforts at the African Nations Cup. If they get knocked out before next week, they could regain leading scorer Sadio Mane for the crunch clash with Chelsea. That would definitely bolster their hopes of a win.

Meanwhile, Chelsea continues to motor, with an easy 2-0 win over Hull City continuing their dream resurgence in the Premier League.

Goals either side of half time to Diego Costa and Gary Cahill gave the Pensioners the result that they needed.

Across their last four meetings, Liverpool have actually been the better team, knocking off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their past two visits and taking a share of the points in the past two home matches at Anfield.

But 2017 is a different year and Chelsea looks to have the goods this time around.

Look for the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Victor Moses to pile on the pressure on a Liverpool line up that appears to have forgotten how to defend.

Possible teams

Liverpool: Simon MIGNOLET, Nathaniel CLYNE, Dejan LOVREN, Joel MATIP, James MILNER, Georginio WIJNALDUM, Jordan HENDERSON, Emre CAN, Adam LALLANA, Roberto FIRMINO, Philippe COUTINHO

Chelsea: Thibaut COURTOIS, Cesar AZPILICUETA, David LUIZ, Gary CAHILL, Victor MOSES, N’Golo KANTÉ, Nemanja MATIC, Marcos ALONSO, PEDRO, Diego COSTA, Eden HAZARD

First goal scorer predictions

Chelsea:

Diego Costa ($5 with Sportsbet.com.au)

Look, it is a little bit obvious, but there is no denying the reincarnation of Diego Costa as a force in the Premier League. Many of our punters will remember he was a shell of his former self last season, but he has a new lease on life in this campaign and Chelsea – and punters – are benefitting. He already has 15 goals this season, good enough to be tied at the top with Arsenal luminary Alexis Sanchez and he is the one that talented Chelsea midfield looks to hit up every time they go forward. He’s scored twice in the past five outings against the Reds, including in their latest tilt in September.

Liverpool:

Roberto Firmino ($7 with Sportsbet.com.au)

Maybe this one is a little obvious too, but the star striker has just started to recapture some form at Anfield, firing in twice against Swansea – his first Premier League goal in 2017. If Mane returns, that could curtail his hopes, but we’re going with the hot hand in this one and we expect Firmino to be ready to latch onto the good work of the likes of Coutinho and company.

Match predictions

Match result: Chelsea to win ($2.70 @ WilliamHill.com.au)

Correct match score: Chelsea 1-0 ($10 @ WilliamHill.com.au)

We said the Swans loss could have put paid to Liverpool’s title hopes, but the reality is, if they win this one, it puts them right back in the conversation, with less than three games separating them from top spot. Problem is, we don’t think they will win. Call it a hunch, but the form from the Reds has been ordinary at best over the past three weeks, a huge let down from a massive win over Manchester City. A draw against bottom side Sunderland and then the weekend’s loss to relegation battler Swansea has heaped pressure on them. Can they deliver against the best side in the Premier League? We don’t think so. After a 2-0 loss to Tottenham away from home, Chelsea got right back on it and have not conceded a goal in the past two matches. There are never heaps of goals scored at Anfield when these two teams meet, but we’re backing that stingy defence to choke Liverpool and keep a clean sheet in a massive result for their burgeoning title chase.