Premier League team news and prediction: Liverpool vs Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel takes his unbeaten Chelsea side to Anfield on Thursday evening looking to improve on a poor head-to-head record against fellow German Jurgen Klopp.

Tuchel has suffered defeat on nine occasions against teams managed by Klopp, more than any other coach in his managerial career.

The Chelsea boss did at least prevail in their last meeting, a 2-1 victory in the Champions League group stage in 2018/19 with Paris Saint-Germain.

Prior to that victory, however, Tuchel had failed to win any of the previous 11 meetings across spells at PSG and Mainz.

Ahead of their first meeting in the Premier League, we have all your need-to-know matchday information in one place, including kick-off time, where to catch it and all your team news.

When is kick off?
Thursday 4th March, 20:15 GMT
Where is the match?
Anfield, Liverpool
Where can I watch it?
Sky Sports Premier League / Sky Sports Main Event

Form Guide

Liverpool put end to a four-game losing streak in the Premier League with a 2-0 win away to strugglers Sheffield United at the weekend. Jurgen Klopp's side are remarkably winless in their last six league matches at Anfield and have lost the last four, scoring only two goals in that time. In fact, Phil Foden has scored as many goals on Merseyside in 2021 as Liverpool (2).

Chelsea are plucking away under Thomas Tuchel. There have clearly been some very quick changes made by the German but they are still lacking cutting edge going forward. Tuchel is unbeaten in his first nine games in charge of Chelsea but they have only scored more than once in three of those fixtures.

Team News

Liverpool have lost captain Jordan Henderson for the next two months through injury but should at least recover Fabinho for this one. Diogo Jota is unlikely to mark his own return with a start here, but he is at least another option in attack. Alisson will be back in goal after missing the win over Sheffield United after the passing of his father.

Chelsea should have a fully fit squad to pick from at Anfield, though Thiago Silva is just coming back from a hamstring injury and won't be rushed. Andreas Christensen has really stepped up in his absence in any case. Jorginho is pushing for a recall after being dropped against Manchester United at the weekend, while it's still unclear what Chelsea's best attack is.

Probable XIs

Liverpool (433): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Fabinho, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Chelsea (3421): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Havertz; Werner 

Key Battle: Thiago vs Mateo Kovacic

Thiago's first season at Liverpool has been a bit of a nightmare, with COVID-19 and injury disrupting things. But it's fair to say he hasn't made the impact many expected upon his arrival from Bayern Munich in the summer. The 29-year-old is still getting to grips with Liverpool's style of play but there has been a noticeable improvement of late.

Meanwhile at Chelsea, one of the biggest beneficiaries of Thomas Tuchel's arrival has been Mateo Kovacic. The ex-Real Madrid midfielder was drifting under Frank Lampard but is firmly one of Tuchel's most trusted players. In fact, Kovacic is Chelsea's top rated player under Tuchel (7.52) in the Premier League. Both Kovacic and Thiago are superb in and out of possession at their best and it's certainly a midfield battle to savour on Thursday night.

Score Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea