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Arne Slot had a relatively kind set of fixtures to begin his Liverpool career, but the run of games between now and Christmas is much tougher for the Dutchman, starting with the unpredictable Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool have only conceded two goals in the first seven league games of the season. One of those was damaging, in a home defeat by Nottingham Forest, but Slot can still be pleased with the overall picture. That loss at Anfield was their only failure to win in all competitions thus far.
They will, however, have to make do without Alisson Becker until next month. Caoimhin Kelleher, who has admitted he wants to be a number one choice somewhere, is set for a run in the side.
The Reds’ 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace before the international break was only their second league victory by that scoreline since the beginning of last season.
After a five-game winning run across the Premier League, Carabao Cup, and Conference League, Chelsea’s home draw against Nottingham Forest was a reminder that there is still work to be done to turn the Blues into contenders at the very top of the table.
The trip to Anfield represents Enzo Maresca’s biggest test since the opening day loss to Manchester City. The champions were too good for Chelsea that afternoon, but the west London club now have an in-form forward line that has been bolstered by the arrival of Jadon Sancho, who has three assists in four Blues appearances.
Maresca’s team have won each of their three Premier League away games this season.
Liverpool and Chelsea have contested several memorable battles in various competitions over the last two decades. From the Champions League knockout ties in the 2000’s, to Steven Gerrard’s costly slip in 2014, to three cup finals since 2022, there has been joy and heartbreak on each side of the coin.
Last time they met at Anfield, Chelsea had as many yellow cards (four) as they did shots. Liverpool won 4-1 that night, and would enjoy an even more meaningful success against the Blues at Wembley three weeks later in the Carabao Cup final.
Chelsea’s latest win over the Reds on Merseyside was in front of no fans in 2021. Before that, you need to go back to November 2014 for their last league victory at Anfield.
Chelsea have been terrific on the road this term, but while they have taken points at Anfield in recent years, wins have been hard to come by.
Liverpool’s home games haven’t been high-scoring affairs under Slot, and goalless draws have not been uncommon between these clubs in the past three years.
With Liverpool looking to continue their satisfactory form against Chelsea, the best bet for this match is for the Reds to have the most first half corners, and for Dominik Szoboszlai to commit a foul.
The more that Liverpool players have got used to life under Slot, the sooner they have been able to take control of games from the first whistle.
Against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the Reds forced seven corners in the first 45 minutes, which helped them lead at the break having registered nine shots.
It was a similar story in their previous league match at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where they had six first half corners. In all competitions, they have won the corner battle in the opening period eight times out of 10, while Chelsea are yet to have the most in the first half in an away game under Maresca.
That forms the backbone of our bet builder, and we’ll fill it out with a Szoboszlai foul, given that the Hungarian has been penalised in each of his league starts in 2024-25. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez have been fouled more than three times between them per 90 minutes.
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