Two giants of the English game languishing in mid-table obscurity kick off this weekend's Premier League action, as Liverpool take on Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.
The ninth-placed Reds and 10th-placed Blues only have 28 points to boast from their top-flight outings approaching the midway point of the season, although the hosts hold a game in hand over their capital counterparts.
Match preview
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Only a few days after being forced to witness the "worst" game of his Liverpool career in a 3-0 humbling at Brighton & Hove Albion, Jurgen Klopp got what he wanted in terms of a response when the Reds travelled to Wolverhampton Wanderers for their FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday.
A wonder strike from Harvey Elliott booked Liverpool's spot in the fourth round via a 1-0 triumph - and with it another trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton - as the Merseyside giants finally claimed their first victory of 2023 at the fourth attempt.
Defeat at the Amex marked the first time since 1993 that Liverpool had suffered back-to-back league losses at the start of the calendar year, and a season without European football beckons lest the Reds enjoy a remarkable turnaround in the coming months, as they are two points off Brighton in seventh and a further 10 adrift of the Champions League spots.
A first clean sheet in seven games at Molineux was a sight for sore eyes, as is Liverpool's imperious home record in the Premier League, as they have lost just one of their last 32 top-flight contests at Anfield and have scored 23 goals on home turf so far - only Manchester City have more in the league this term.
Not since a 1-0 loss to Fulham in March 2021 have Klopp's men failed to score in a home Premier League match, and the German will take charge of his 1,000th game as a manager this weekend, no doubt eyeing a priceless three points to celebrate in the right way.
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Speaking of esteemed teams finally winning their first fixture of the calendar year, Graham Potter's Chelsea were indebted to both Thiago Silva and Kepa Arrizabalaga during the visit of Crystal Palace, but the West London powerhouses just about got over the line in a 1-0 triumph.
Kai Havertz's header with 64 minutes gone separated the two capital counterparts at Stamford Bridge, where new signing Mykhaylo Mudryk was unveiled after Chelsea pipped Arsenal to the signature of the highly-rated Ukrainian attacker - their fifth acquisition of a hectic winter window.
Having avoided a fourth game without victory in the Premier League, Chelsea are just about clinging onto their top-half spot in 10th place - behind Liverpool on goal difference and with an identical gap to make up to the top seven and Champions League places.
Potter continues to receive the backing of the Chelsea board, despite only winning two of his last 10 Premier League games at the helm, and the Blues have embarked on an abysmal five-game winless run away from home in the top flight since overcoming Aston Villa in October.
Both Premier League meetings between Liverpool and Chelsea ended level last term before the Reds overcame the Blues in the FA Cup and EFL Cup final on penalties, but Klopp's side cannot rely on their 12-yard prowess to inflict more misery on the Blues here.
Team News
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None of Arthur, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino or Virgil van Dijk will be back for Liverpool just yet, but Klopp is expecting Darwin Nunez to bounce back from an unspecified issue in time to line up against the Blues.
Nunez's return should see Cody Gakpo revert to a wide role as Fabio Carvalho makes way, while Kostas Tsimikas suffered a knock to the back at Molineux but was always expected to cede his place to Andrew Robertson.
Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Mohamed Salah and Fabinho will also be among those to return, with the latter expected to come in for Stefan Bajcetic, despite the 18-year-old's impressive performance in the FA Cup.
Over at Cobham, Chelsea new boy Mudryk will be in contention to make his Blues debut, and he could potentially be pressed into action straight away, as Kai Havertz was not seen in training on Wednesday for unexplained reasons.
However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a more natural replacement for Havertz, and a full-capacity Chelsea treatment room still includes ex-Liverpool man Raheem Sterling alongside Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante, Reece James, Armando Broja and Denis Zakaria.
Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix will serve the second of a three-game Premier League suspension after his sending off at Fulham, while Benoit Badiashile and Lewis Hall can both feel confident about keeping their places in the backline.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Konate, Robertson; Elliott, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Chalobah, Badiashile, Silva, Hall; Kovacic, Jorginho, Gallagher; Ziyech, Aubameyang, Mount
We say: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
Liverpool's defence had to withstand wave after wave of pressure from Wolves in the FA Cup, but they held out well in a marked improvement of their levels of resilience, which will serve them well against a Chelsea side still struggling for results on the road.
With the roar of the Anfield faithful behind them and the expected return of the nuisance that is Nunez, we have faith in Liverpool to continue their wonderful goalscoring streak at home and send Chelsea back to London with zero points to their name.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
