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

Having missed the chance to wrap up Champions League qualification at Old Trafford, Liverpool can rubber-stamp a top-five finish in the Premier League table when they host Chelsea in Saturday's early kickoff at Anfield.

The reigning champions' winning streak came to an end in an agonising 3-2 loss to Manchester United last weekend, shortly before the Blues' 3-1 home reverse to Nottingham Forest - a sorry sixth top-flight defeat in a row.

Match preview

On a day where either Man United or Liverpool could have secured their Champions League ticket, it was the Red Devils who claimed the bragging rights in the biggest game in English football, despite almost being the masters of their own downfall.

Arne Slot's men capitalised on defensive lapses from Michael Carrick's charges to unexpectedly fight back from 2-0 down, but their revival was short-lived, as Kobbie Mainoo celebrated his new contract signing with an exquisite winner 13 minutes from time.

A seething Slot did not mince his words when discussing the Benjamin Sesko handball controversy at full time, but the under-pressure Dutchman could not justifiably claim that Liverpool deserved even a slice of the spoils, given their 0.89 Expected Goals compared to Man Utd's 2.34.

The end of Liverpool's three-match winning run triggered fresh calls for the manager to go, but if this season is to be Slot's last, he should not take his leave without leading the Reds back into Europe's premier competition.

Fourth in the Premier League table with 58 points - six clear of Bournemouth and seven above Brentford - Liverpool will qualify for the 2026-27 Champions League if they beat Chelsea and the Cherries drop points at Fulham.

The Reds can fall back on a pleasing Anfield record as they endeavour to achieve that goal, having taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer in Premier League home games, albeit while keeping just one clean sheet in their last seven.

Clean sheets are also a largely foreign concept to Chelsea in the Premier League right now, as are points in general, as the Blues head to Merseyside as the most out-of-form team in the division.

Across the last six Premier League matchdays, only one team has taken zero points from 18 available; Newcastle United, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and most recently Nottingham Forest have all conquered the Club World Cup champions to officially extinguish any miniscule top-five chances.

Calum McFarlane's men at least snapped a five-game Premier League scoreless streak against Forest on Monday, but Joao Pedro's 93rd-minute effort in front of a sparsely-populated Stamford Bridge barely broke into consolation territory, as Taiwo Awoniyi (2) and Igor Jesus had already won the game for a much-changed Garibaldi.

The ninth-placed Blues are mathematically out of top-five contention - sitting 10 points adrift of Aston Villa with three games remaining - but they are just four points off Bournemouth in sixth, which could suffice for UCL qualification if Villa finish in the top five and win the Europa League.

The Blues' pitiful form is not that of a side warranting a spot at Europe's top table, though, and the visitors are now at risk of losing seven successive league games for just the second time ever, after first suffering such a sequence in 1952.

Chelsea did best Liverpool twice at Stamford Bridge in 2025 - most recently a 2-1 success in October - but the Reds have won their last two meetings at Anfield, including last season's Mohamed Salah-inspired triumph by the same scoreline.

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Team News

Already missing long-term Achilles victim Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool devastatingly lost fellow striker Alexander Isak to a groin injury before the trip to Old Trafford, albeit a very minor groin injury that might clear up in time for the weekend.

At the time of writing, though, Isak remains doubtful alongside Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate - neither of whom trained on Wednesday for unexplained reasons - in addition to Alisson Becker (unspecified) and Giorgi Mamardashvili (knee).

Mohamed Salah (thigh), Wataru Endo (ankle), Giovanni Leoni (knee) and Conor Bradley (knee) are definitely out of contention for the champions, who should call on Joe Gomez and Rio Ngumoha if neither Wirtz nor Konate are available.

As for Chelsea, the loss to Forest was overshadowed by the sickening head injury to teenage attacker Jesse Derry, who was stretchered off to warm applause from both sets of supporters after his collision with Zach Abbott.

Derry-Abbott was one of two head clashes at Stamford Bridge, where Robert Sanchez and Morgan Gibbs-White also crashed into each other, so Filip Jorgensen may be required in between the posts in the former's place.

McFarlane is at least hopeful of having attacking trio Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens fit for the weekend, but Estevao Willian (thigh) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping ban) will play no part.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Woodman; Jones, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Frimpong, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Gakpo

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Jorgensen; James, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Pedro

We say: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea

Liverpool are not without their problems, but Chelsea's Premier League season is ending catastrophically, and McFarlane's men could return to scoreless ways on Saturday.

Given the fitness issues on the hosts' end, a classic is surely not in store, but Slot's side have netted multiple goals in four of their last five games and may only need one to ensure their Champions League spot.

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