Key Facts
- Chelsea heads to Anfield on the back of six straight Premier League losses and will be without starting goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, which further weakens their defensive stability.
- Liverpool sits in fourth place, level on points with Aston Villa, and cannot afford another slip-up in the battle for Champions League spots.
- There have been no draws in the last five head-to-head matches; the games have always been decided decisively, with Chelsea winning the two most recent league encounters.
- Dominik Szoboszlai shoulders much of the creative burden for Liverpool (scored and assisted in the 2-3 loss at Manchester United); Mohamed Salah remains sidelined with a thigh injury.
- Four of the last five matches have ended with more than 2.5 goals, though the first halves have mostly been low-scoring and the game often only opened up after the break.
- Chelsea’s attack is weakened by several wing injuries (including Pedro Neto), which suggests a controlled game with few goals despite Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities.
Six consecutive winless Premier League matches, and Chelsea travels to Anfield of all places. Calum McFarlane continues to struggle to stabilize a turbulent season, while Liverpool, for its part, needs a response following the 3-2 loss at Manchester United. With two teams that had expected more from the season, the mood is tense rather than confident.
Arne Slot’s team heads into the weekend in fourth place, level on points with Aston Villa, while Chelsea sits in ninth, two points behind Brighton and level with Everton in the tightly packed battle for European spots. The fact that Chelsea has won the last two league meetings—most recently in October 2025—adds a sharper edge to this match than the standings alone would suggest.
- Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
- Date and time: May 9, 2026, 1:30 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 36)
The betting market clearly favors Liverpool, and the facts largely support this assessment: Chelsea is without Robert Sánchez and comes into the match with six Premier League losses, while Liverpool has won three of its last four league games and cannot afford any slip-ups in the race with Aston Villa.
Liverpool Form & Record Check
Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford felt familiar. The Reds were exposed early on, fought their way back through Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, and yet still found a way to lose the game.
That says a lot about a team that has all too often had to rely on second-half comebacks. Add to that the injury concerns: Mohamed Salah remains sidelined, and Alexander Isak has not yet resumed training this week.
The overall picture in the standings is more stable than the mood might suggest. Liverpool has won three of its last four Premier League matches—against Fulham, Everton, and Crystal Palace—and remains in fourth place, level on points with Aston Villa. The concern lies with defensive stability. Across all competitions, the Reds have conceded in four consecutive matches, which is why the home crowd’s pressure alone is unlikely to be enough if the back line doesn’t finally get its act together.
Liverpool is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Freddie Woodman – 28 expected between the posts as Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili are out. Joe Gomez – 2 could replace Conor Bradley at right back, while Mohamed Salah’s thigh issue is likely to see Jeremie Frimpong – 30 start on the right wing. In the center, Ibrahima Konaté – 5, Virgil van Dijk – 4, and Dominik Szoboszlai – 8 form the backbone of the team.
Chelsea Form & Record Check
The 1-3 home loss to Nottingham Forest has only intensified the sense of disorientation surrounding the club. Within 15 minutes, they were already down by two goals, only managed to play better for brief spells, and needed a late goal from João Pedro to ensure the result didn’t look quite as bitter. Calum McFarlane has dismissed reports that the players had mentally checked out, but six consecutive Premier League losses make that argument hard to sustain.
There is certainly talent in the midfield: Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, and Cole Palmer can turn a game around at any moment, and the FA Cup win against Leeds showed that Chelsea can still handle tense matches. In the league, however, the situation remains critical. Chelsea sits in ninth place, two points behind Brighton and level with Everton, while defensive stability remains fragile with Robert Sánchez still sidelined.
In Chelsea’s projected 4-2-3-1 lineup, Filip Jørgensen – 12 is likely to replace the injured Robert Sánchez in goal. Trevoh Chalobah – 23 and Tosin Adarabioyo – 4 are likely to form the center-back pairing, with Moisés Caicedo – 25 and Enzo Fernández – 8 securing the defensive midfield behind them. Further forward, Cole Palmer – 10 is expected to be the central playmaker, and with Pedro Neto out, Mykhaylo Mudryk could retain his spot on the wing.
Liverpool – Chelsea Head-to-Head & Stats
This matchup has been unusually one-sided recently. There hasn’t been a single draw in the last five encounters.
Chelsea has won the two most recent league matches, in October 2025 and earlier in 2025; before that, Liverpool had won three in a row, including the 2024 League Cup final. The series has swung sharply from one side to the other without any balance being established.
The scoring pattern is also striking. Four of the last five meetings have ended with more than 2.5 goals, though the early stages were often cautious: In four of those matches, fewer than 1.5 goals were scored in the first half before the second half opened up the game. Liverpool has scored in all five recent matchups and in every second half, while Chelsea has conceded a goal after the break in each of those five matches.
