Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Live Stream Info, Prediction and Team News for 1st Leg

Liverpool and Chelsea renew rivalries at Anfield in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Anfield last season put a huge dent in Liverpool’s bid to win the Premier League title. Jose Mourinho’s side returned to Merseyside in November to win again as goals from Gary Cahill and Diego Costa secured a 2-1 success.

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But Liverpool are now unbeaten in eight games and are hoping to build on their record eight League Cup final wins, per the club’s official website.

It promises to be a fascinating game, and both teams will want to ensure the tie is not over before next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Here’s all the information you need on where to catch the game and a closer look at the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20

Time: 7.45 p.m. (GMT), 2.45 p.m. (ET)

Live Stream: Sky Go App (UK), beIN Sports Connect (US)

TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK), beIN Sports (US)

Liverpool Team News

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been passed fit to play, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. Gerrard missed the 2-0 win at Aston Villa last Saturday with a hamstring problem. The midfielder could come into the team for Fabio Borini in a move which would see Raheem Sterling play up front.

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Mario Balotelli is still a doubt after sitting out the Villa game with a chest infection. He will be assessed nearer kick-off. Rickie Lambert will be hoping his goal as a substitute against Villa will be enough to warrant a starting place.

Liverpool have lost only one of their last eight games at home in the League Cup, per Opta, and have beaten Middlesbrough, Swansea and Bournemouth to reach this stage.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher expects Lucas to be a key man in midfield after the Brazilian’s role in their recent unbeaten run. Carragher told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football: “He is a destructor in front of the defence and that’s what Liverpool needed. He’s always thinking defensively and is aware of what’s going on around him, telling players to fill in for him when he vacates an area.”

Chelsea Team News

Chelsea head to Liverpool five points clear at the top of the Premier League after thrashing Swansea 5-0 on Saturday and then seeing Manchester City lose 2-0 at home to Arsenal 24 hours later.

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And, though Liverpool aren't involved in this season’s title race, Chelsea captain John Terry is still expecting a tough game.

Terry, per Dominic Fifield of The Guardian, said: “You have to forget form and where they are, and everything else. That kind of goes out of the window. It’s Chelsea against Liverpool. It’s going to be tough over the two legs and I just hope we are strong enough.”

In Chelsea’s previous 11 appearances in a League Cup semi-final, the club have gone on to reach the final six times, per Opta.

Chelsea manager Mourinho will likely pick a strong team, with the upcoming FA Cup tie against Bradford a better opportunity to rotate his squad.

Thibaut Courtois could return in goal in place of Petr Cech after a recent finger injury. Kurt Zouma and Andre Schurrle have started all three games in the competition so far after Chelsea beat Bolton, Shrewsbury and Derby to get to this stage.

Zouma has a couple of Premier League starts under his belt recently and is an option to come in for Cahill. Schurrle, though, has been linked with a £23 million move to Wolfsburg, per Simon Jones of the Daily Mail.

With an almost fully fit squad to choose from, it would be no surprise to see Mourinho pick his strongest side. When his team are this close to reaching a final, Mourinho rarely picks a weakened XI.

Now that Liverpool have been playing with a back three, a defining feature of the game will be how they cope with the buzzing movement of Chelsea’s attacking players. There could be space for Chelsea to exploit in wide areas.

But, with neither team wanting to give too much away in the first leg, both managers would be happy to head into the second leg all square.

Prediction: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1