Premier League betting – Chelsea vs Liverpool

Chelsea vs Liverpool betting preview

Chelsea: League Position: 4th, League Form

What a transfer window it’s ending up being for the Blues. Just as questions were being asked over Roman Abramovich’s desire at Chelsea he forks out £50m for Fernando Torres and another £25m for defender David Luiz. The jitters that have ruined the middle of their season can now begin to be banished particularly off the back of a 4-0 win at Bolton and a 4-2 victory at Sunderland.

Whether or not Luiz begins his Chelsea career this Sunday is unclear, but the defence is still the soft core of this side. Standards have dropped across each member of the defensive unit, although Cech was back to somewhere near his best against Sunderland. If the new signing does not play then Terry, Ivanovic and Bosingwa (less so Ashley Cole) will be scrutinised again.

The dream team like conundrum up front could be Manager Ancelotti’s other concern. Does he hand Torres his debut against his former club? Will the Spaniard form a partnership with Drogba or Anelka? Can he play all three? It’s the kind of problem a manager loves, and a trio that will terrify any defence worldwide.

Liverpool: League Position: 7th, League Form:

Liverpool began life without Fernando on Wednesday, and they cruised to victory against Stoke at home. A comfortable 2-0 win and a debut goal for substitute Luis Suarez was the perfect result for Manager Kenny Dalglish. Now the big test. The team put out against Stoke included six defenders, and whilst Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio have the ability to play wide midfield, but are still full backs playing out of position.

Coming up against a quality side, Liverpool were not expected to beat Chelsea at home earlier in the season. A fantastic Fernando Torres performance eased them past the champions. Without the Spaniard they must now go to Stamford Bridge and play even better to get anything from the game. With £35m signing Andy Carroll sidelined, other new boy Suarez is likely to start. He looked reasonably sharp midweek. Can he inspire his side here? The inconsistency within the Chelsea defensive ranks is there to attack.

Match Prediction: CHELSEA WIN – 1.62 Bet365 and William Hill

Two teams with weaknesses in defence, new signings up front and the added bite of Fernando Torres facing his old team on his debut. This game has all the makings of a cracker. Looking at the recent form of both sides it surprising to see three consecutive clean sheets for Liverpool, whilst Chelsea looked rocky at the back throughout the game with Sunderland on Tuesday.

It is still considered that both these sides have problems in defence. The Chelsea back line is looking weaker than last season, whilst most Liverpool fans worry their defence is not of high enough standard. Suarez, with 49 goals in 48 appearances in Holland last year, will worry Terry, and possibly new signing David Luiz, and Torres will be desperate to get off the ground running on his debut for the Blues.

But, Chelsea are looking closer to their attacking best, and have the experience in their ranks to up their performances in the big games. Home advantage is massively important for Chelsea too. Fernando Torres will be the most popular first goalscorer bet this weekend, and it’s hard not to back him.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.91 Coral

First Goalscorer: Fernando Torres – 5.00 Paddy Power

Correct Score: 2-1 CHELSEA WIN – 9.00 Sky Bet

Match Odds:-

Chelsea – 1.62 Bet365, William Hill

Draw – 4.2 Stan James

Liverpool – 6.00 Victor Chandler

By Chris Wilkerson

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers