Preview:Chelsea vs Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

Liverpool may have lost their grip on top spot in the Premier League table by the time they kick off against Chelsea in Saturday evening's Stamford Bridge battle.

More cracks are beginning to appear for Arne Slot's men, while the Blues earned just a second win from six matches by taking down Jose Mourinho's Benfica in midweek.

Match preview

Labelled as dark horses for the 2025-26 Premier League title before the first ball was kicked, Chelsea's indifferent form may have some going back on their pre-season predictions, as Enzo Maresca has overseen a mediocre two wins, two draws and two defeats thus far.

Not for the first time this season, poor discipline cost the Club World Cup winners in last weekend's visit of Brighton & Hove Albion, who were on the back foot until Trevoh Chalobah's red card changed the course of the game; the Seagulls eventually triumphed 3-1 courtesy of a Danny Welbeck double.

Boasting a paltry one point from their last three Premier League games - after taking seven from the first nine on offer - the eighth-placed hosts already find themselves seven points behind the leaders and are also counting the cost of a hefty absentee list, which the Club World Cup may or may not have had something to do with.

From injuries to indiscipline, Chelsea's 118 cards - 114 yellow, four red - since the start of the 2024-25 Premier League season is more than any other team, and the Blues failed to finish Tuesday's Champions League clash with Benfica with 11 men on the pitch too.

However, Joao Pedro's late dismissal was inconsequential in a 1-0 win over Mourinho's men, and the hosts now set out to avoid losing three straight Premier League games for the first time since the spring of 2023, when Frank Lampard was at the helm.

Also at risk of a torrid third consecutive defeat - albeit in all competitions rather than the Premier League exclusively - reigning champions Liverpool have looked a shadow of the side that stormed to the title at a canter over the past week.

The Reds' latest late late show was not enough to deny Crystal Palace their deserved victory last weekend, as Eddie Nketiah's extraordinary late winner ended Liverpool's perfect start to the top-flight campaign, in a result that Reds fans likely saw coming.

None of the holders' first five Premier League wins of the new term were convincing by any stretch, and their autumnal plight continued in midweek, as Galatasaray condemned Arne Slot's side to a shock 1-0 Champions League defeat thanks to a Victor Osimhen penalty.

Reeling from back-to-back losses for just the second time under Slot, Liverpool will also enter Saturday's game off the top of the Premier League table if Arsenal - who cut the gap down to two points by edging out Newcastle United - overcome West Ham United at 3pm.

The less said about the Reds' recent record at Stamford Bridge the better too, as Liverpool are winless in their last four Premier League away games at Chelsea, although last season's 3-1 defeat came after they had already been crowned champions and had taken their foot off the pedal.

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Team News

Pedro's sending-off in midweek does not impact his participation in the Premier League, but centre-back Chalobah will serve his one-game domestic ban for his dismissal in the loss to Brighton.

Chalobah joins Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended), Dario Essugo (thigh), Tosin Adarabioyo (calf), Cole Palmer (groin), Liam Delap (thigh) and Levi Colwill (knee) on the Chelsea sidelines, while Wesley Fofana (head) and Andrey Santos (knock) both need once-overs.

Maresca said that he would be without "seven or eight players" when asked at his press conference but did not give specifics on Fofana or Santos, whose conditions therefore remain up in the air.

If Fofana is not cleared to return from concussion protocol this weekend, Josh Acheampong should function as an emergency centre-back for the hosts, potentially alongside fellow teenager Jorrel Hato if Benoit Badiashile is not ready for two starts in two days.

While Liverpool have not been so unfortunate on the injury front this season, the champions' misery against Galatasaray was compounded by a groin injury to Alisson Becker, and Slot has ruled his number one out of this heavyweight clash.

Alisson was one of two casualties of the midweek loss alongside Hugo Ekitike, but there is more optimism that his thigh problem will settle down in time; either way, Alexander Isak should take his place as the Swede aims to score at Stamford Bridge for the third year running.

In brighter news, Slot could also welcome Federico Chiesa back from an unspecified niggle, but Giovanni Leoni (ACL) remains on the long road to recovery.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Estevao, Buonanotte, Neto; Pedro

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Isak

We say: Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

Even when results go against them, Chelsea can almost always be backed to make the net bulge, having scored in each of their last eight matches across all competitions since their opening-day goalless draw with Crystal Palace.

Such a statistic makes for unpleasant reading for a defensively frail Liverpool, whom we cannot back with confidence to go to Stamford Bridge and win, but Chelsea's own inconsistencies and absentees makes them difficult to side with too.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.