You just get the feeling that the teams at the top of the Premier League that are trailing Chelsea know that they have to get three points from the Blues if they want to have any chance at being serious contenders down the stretch of the season. The bottom line though, is that Chelsea isn't relenting, and that's why this trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool comes with a sense of possible forgiveness, knowing that the team heads into the last match in January eight points clear.
This English Premier League duel will go down Tuesday, January 31, 2016, at 3 p.m. ET at Anfield. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool +149
Chelsea +195
Draw +233
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Liverpool is the favorite in this match, but it isn't of the convincing variety. The Reds are only PK -130 on the Asian Handicap and are +149 favorites on the moneyline, though much of that has to do with their lack of recent form and the quantity ( and quality ) of teams that have outplayed them at Anfield in recent weeks.
Chelsea isn't set at +195 on the moneyline often, and a team that has 18 wins in 22 matches with eight in 11 on the road certainly feels like a steal here. But past form doesn't necessarily guarantee future results in the EPL, and we've already seen the Blues lose at Tottenham in recent weeks. This is clearly a similar match.
The total is relatively low at 2.5 with -125 vig on the under.
Key Injuries
Chelsea actually has a clean bill of health at the moment, so all of the questions are on Jurgen Klopp's sideline. Sadio Mane will return to the team from the African Cup of Nations, but it's anyone's guess whether he's going to have the fitness to get right back in the lineup.
Adam Lallana suffered a cut on his leg against Southampton on the EFL Cup semifinal that cost him the match against Wolverhampton over the weekend and could keep him out for this one as well. Mark Grujic and Danny Ings are both long-term absentees.
Recent Form
It's been a really bad week and change for Liverpool. The Reds faced three home matches in succession, first against Swansea City at home in the EPL, then against Southampton in the EFL Cup and then versus Wolverhampton in the FA Cup. Perhaps Liverpool would be forgiven if the only trip of the three came against the Wolves, knowing that it didn't quite have a full side for the game in and amongst a crowded week of fixtures. That said, the team was beaten in all three affairs, and that both served as the end of the dream of two bits of silverware and probably effectively ended any challenge for the EPL title as well in one swoop.
Chelsea meanwhile, is back to business. The team had no troubles against Brentford, even with a fringy side in the FA Cup over the weekend, and that came on the heels of dismissing both Leicester City and Hull City in shutouts in the last couple weeks. Granted, the Blues haven't faced a particularly good side since losing to Tottenham on January 4, but they're 4-0-0 in that span and have outdone their opponents by a 13-1 margin.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
It's just too easy to play Chelsea here on the odds at BookMaker.eu. The Blues are tremendous underdogs and are going to garner a heck of a lot of attention from bettors. However, this really is Liverpool's season now, and Klopp knows it.
He's already acted out of desperation and is begging Mane to join the fray again for this match to try to get some life into this offense, and he's already called this the "perfect turning point of the season." He'd better be right if the Reds want to play top flight European soccer next season.
English Premier League Odds: Liverpool 2, Chelsea 0
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