Both Chelsea and Liverpool are still in the race for the Premier League title. This is still the case even though they’re trailing behind Manchester City by nine and ten points, respectively. Things could get even worse for one of them if they end up losing on Sunday. As there’s so much at stake, it’s guaranteed that the Chelsea vs Liverpool game is going to be a thriller.
Chelsea vs Liverpool Odds
All odds are per FanDuel as of December 30.
1X2
| Chelsea | +195 |
| Draw | +240 |
| Liverpool | +135 |
Over/Under
| Over 2.5 | -118 |
| Under 2.5 | -102 |
Where and When
- Date: Sunday, January 2, 2022
- Time: 9:00 am ET
- Location: Stamford Bridge in London, England
Chelsea’s Problems Keep Piling Up
“It’s stupid to think that Chelsea is still in the title race” – that’s what the Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said earlier this week after his team drew 1-1 with Brighton. The reason behind his disappointment is that his team’s been having serious problems with absentees throughout the season.
Several of Chelsea’s key men spent weeks sidelined due to injuries, while COVID also made many of their first-team players miss some matches. For instance, in the game against Brighton, Tuchel couldn’t count on Ben Chilwell, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Thiago Silva, and Timo Werner.
Those guys will miss the Chelsea vs Liverpool game as well. The worst thing is that they’re joined by Reece James, who suffered an injury against Brighton.
Liverpool to Get Back in the Winning Mode?
Until very recently, the Reds were superb in all the competitions they’re taking part in. From November 11 until December 19, they had all wins. We saw them winning six Premier League games and two games in the Champions League.
However, in the last two weeks, their form dipped. It all started with a 2-2 draw with Tottenham, in which Liverpool was without seven first-team players, and in which, their goalie Alisson made a blunder that cost his team three points.
Their next game was in the Carabao Cup, in which they defeated Leicester City 4-3 after overtime. Spending two hours on the pitch has certainly made Liverpool players tired, which explains why they lost to the same opponent in the Premier League on December 28.
That was Liverpool’s second defeat of the season, the result of which is that they’re now nine points behind the table leaders. The good news for the Reds, however, is that they’ve played one game fewer than the Citizens. What this means is that with a win on Sunday, they’d reduce the gap to six points.
That’s more than enough motivation for Liverpool players to give their utmost in their first game of 2022.
Picks: Liverpool to win; over 2.5 goals