Football Tips: Liverpool to leave Chelsea feeling blue in this 27/1 Bet Builder

Top tipster Andrew Beasley is backing the Reds to bash the Blues in Saturday's big one at Anfield.

By / Football Tips / 3 years ago

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There are only four clubs who can harbour realistic hopes of winning the Premier League this season, and Saturday evening sees the first meeting of two of them. What’s more, Liverpool and Chelsea are the two teams within the title-challenging quartet who have won both of their opening two fixtures in 2020/21.

It’s a meeting of master and apprentice, with Thomas Tuchel having previously followed Jurgen Klopp in the hot seat at both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. The Liverpool boss has won nine of their 15 meetings, albeit 10 of them took place while he was trying to win the Bundesliga with BVB while Mainz held much more modest ambitions.

Saturday 17:30 – Liverpool v Chelsea
Sky Sports Main Event/ Premier League

More recently, the Reds knocked Tuchel out of the 2016 Europa League with a win and a draw, before Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain shared a home victory apiece in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage.

The most recent match up saw Chelsea win 1-0 at Anfield in March, but Kopites barely consider that as counting as they were not present to roar on their side. That could make a difference here too.

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Liverpool to win

Since their home defeat to Crystal Palace way back in the spring of 2017, the Reds have won 49 and drawn 11 of their 60 league matches at Anfield which supporters were present for. Never mind their six-game losing streak last season, this is the real quiz as far as Liverpool fans are concerned.

They do have an odd record against the Blues under Klopp though, having won four times in the league at Stamford Bridge but just twice on their own patch. Chelsea won their last cup visit, in 2018, too.

But it’s very hard to tip against Liverpool when their record in proper football at home is so strong, and particularly as their four main forwards are all off the mark for the season already. Chelsea might have Romelu ‘one goal in eight games at Anfield’ Lukaku but the Reds will carry the greater goal threat and that should see them to victory.

Both teams to score: Yes

That doesn’t mean the Blues can’t get on the scoresheet, even though Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches (going back to the end of 2020/21) and in five of their last seven. Those shutouts were secured against Burnley (twice), Crystal Palace and Norwich and Chelsea are guaranteed to pose a much sterner test than if those three clubs took on the Reds at once. Lukaku probably cost more than their combined teams, after all.

And since Tuchel assumed control, the Blues have scored in nine of their 10 away games in the league, all three Champions League matches on the road as well as in the final of that competition and the subsequent UEFA Super Cup. Both teams will be celebrating at least one goal at Anfield on Saturday evening.

Anytime Goalscorer: Sadio Mane

While Lukaku would be a very sensible selection for a goal scorer bet, he simply doesn’t have much to draw upon in matches between two of the big six clubs in England. Sure, he scored at Arsenal last weekend, but do they even count as a big six club after two eighth-placed finishes and two defeats to start this season? They’ll probably have had three league defeats by the time this game kicks off too.

The Belgian made 20 appearances for Manchester United against the other top teams and only scored once (against Chelsea, ironically enough).
Far more reliable – and especially against the Blues – is Sadio Mane, who got off the mark for 2021/22 last weekend. The Senegalese forward scored both goals in Liverpool’s win at Stamford Bridge last season, both of their Super Cup goals a year earlier, and bagged the first in a 2-0 Anfield win in 2018/19.
Salah always wants to prove a point against Chelsea, but Mane is the man to back in the goalscorer market here.

To be booked: Fabinho

Liverpool will have to work very hard if they are to take the three points here and there are likely to be plenty of tasty tackles flying in. Manchester’s Anthony Taylor is the referee, and he’d probably like nothing more than to dish out some suspensions to City and United’s main title rivals. Whether he does or not, only three Premier League refs show yellow cards more frequently than he does so it’s reasonable to expect a few here.

In part thanks to the sad death of his father, Fabinho has not played much football this season but is likely to be in the Reds’ XI for this vital encounter. He was booked against United (twice), City and Everton last season so loves a card in a big match and understandably may not be 100% up to speed for 2020/21. A yellow card could be waiting for him in the Saturday evening post.

Liverpool v Chelsea tips

Liverpool to win
Both teams to score: Yes
Anytime Goalscorer: Sadio Mane
To be booked: Fabinho

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