Liverpool continue their Premier League title challenge against Chelsea at Anfield.
Liverpool will stay top regardless of the result but victory could see them move eight points clear if their rivals all lose elsewhere.
Chelsea meanwhile can climb to seventh with a win.
Team News
Alexis Mac Allister is set to return for Liverpool after he missed their FA Cup win at home to Norwich with a knock.
Ben Doak (knee), Konstantinos Tsimikas (shoulder), Joel Matip (ACL), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip), Wataru Endo (international duty) and Mohamed Salah (hamstring) remain absent.
Chelsea could welcome Nicolas Jackson back into contention following Senegal’s exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, depending upon his fitness as he rejoins his club teammates.
Malo Gusto (unspecified) and Christopher Nkunku (hip) could also feature but Levi Colwill (tendon) is ruled out.
Marc Cucurella (ankle), Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu (all hamstring), Wesley Fofana (ACL), Romeo Lavia (knock) and Robert Sanchez (knee) remain ruled out.
When is Kick-Off?
Liverpool entertain Chelsea at Anfield in a 8:15pm GMT kick-off on Wednesday 31 January, live on TNT Sport 1 in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Liverpool are winless in their last six league meetings against Chelsea (D5, L1).
- Chelsea have claimed five points from their last five visits to Liverpool at Anfield (W1, D2, L2).
- Liverpool have kept clean sheets in two of their last three league meetings against Chelsea (D3).
- Coming into this matchweek, no Premier League player has hit the woodwork on more occasions than Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez (5).
- Conor Gallagher has made more interceptions than any other Chelsea player in the top flight this season, with 27 inteceptions made in 20 appearances.
Prediction
Despite ruthlessly thrashing Norwich with a dominant attacking performance in the FA Cup last Sunday, Liverpool know that this will be a tougher test of their Premier League title credentials because their defence can’t make the same sloppy errors as they did twice against the Canaries.
Chelsea meanwhile returned to their wasteful end product in their goalless draw against Aston Villa in the FA Cup, which is annoying after that clinical Carabao Cup home win over Middlesbrough so it is hard to guess which team will roll up given the Blues’ inconsistency.
I however just can’t see the Blues getting anything from this game other than a goal if lucky, given that Liverpool have momentum behind them unlike Chelsea coming into this game.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
Result: Liverpool 4-1 Chelsea