Chelsea vs Liverpool 04/03/20

4 March 2020

Chelsea will entertain Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in a massive FA Cup last-16 showdown this midweek, looking to bring a two-game winless run in home H2Hs to a halt (D1, L1).

However, the hosts are going through a challenging period, having secured just one win in their last five outings in all competitions (D2, L2), conceding over 1.5 goals on four of those occasions. Also, Chelsea’s defensive woes have seen them allow at least two goals in three of their four previous home matches, with seven of their eight goals against across those games arriving in the second half. If the Blues lose here, they might fail to score as well, as they’ve done in each of their last five home defeats. Franck Lampard’s side’s success here will heavily depend on their attacking game. Indeed, eight of Chelsea’s nine competitive home wins this season have seen them score two goals or more.

Meanwhile, the visitors head to London after sustaining a dismal 3-0 away loss to Watford at the weekend, which was their second defeat in their last three matches across all competitions (W1). Away from home, the Reds have won only two of their five previous outings (D1, L2), with all four results (win/loss) in that stretch seeing the winner on the day keep a clean sheet. Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to see more urgency from his players in the first half, as they’ve failed to find the net from open play before halftime in four consecutive road trips. A genuine lack of first-half goals is evident, as all eight of Liverpool’s last away games have featured under 1.5 first-half goals, with the Merseyside giants drawing a blank before halftime in the past three.