Chelsea v. Liverpool: Champions League Preview

Chelsea v. Liverpool

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Stamford Bridge

Kickoff: 19:45

Chelsea

Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-1 away last week in the first leg of this Champions League semifinal.

Chelsea have won five, drawn three, and lost one in Europe this season, scoring 15 and conceding eight goals in the process.

Chelsea will be without Jose Bosingwa (hamstring), and will also be without John Terry for the match due to suspension.

Liverpool

The loss at Anfield last week was the Reds' first in this season's Champions League. Prior to the defeat Liverpool had won six and drawn two, scoring 17 goals and conceding eight along the way.

Steven Gerrard looks to be fit for the match, with the Liverpool captain fighting to overcome a groin injury.

Prediction

After last week's shock 3-1 win for Chelsea at Anfield, the Blues will be in the driver's seat, with Liverpool having to score at least three away goals to have any chance of progressing to the semifinals.

Domestically, Liverpool are still definitely the stronger of the two, after a convincing 4-0 victory over Blackburn at the weekend, whilst Chelsea threw away a four goal lead to end up defeating Bolton by a solitary goal in their 4-3 win.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will undoubtedly be hoping to capitalise on a potentially similar Chelsea lapse, as a 3-0 Liverpool win would be enough of a margin to capture the victory, while any fewer goals for the Reds would see them crash out of the competition.

Chelsea lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge earlier in this season's Premier League (26/10/08), with their only other loss at home this season in any competition coming in a 2-1 defeat by Arsenal in November of last year.

Therefore, Chelsea look pretty solid at Stamford Bridge, currently holding the second best home record in the Premier League. As such, Liverpool have their work cut out in this match.

Taking the momentum from their convincing weekend win—as well as the advantage of having Chelsea skipper and centre-back John Terry absent from the opposition line-up—means that Liverpool have a very good chance of recording a win on Tuesday night.

Whether they have the ability to put three goals in the back of the Chelsea net and keep things tight themselves definitely remains to be seen.

The daunting task set for Liverpool means that we are set to witness one of the most potentially memorable matches of the entire season.

If you are interested in betting online on the match, find the best odds from the top bookmakers at the Chelsea vs Liverpool betting preview page now!