LIVERPOOL'S bid to become Invincibles has bit the dust but they can still stay on track for a memorable treble by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup.
Their quest to follow in the footsteps of Arsenal and Preston by going an entire league season unbeaten came crashing to an end at the weekend with a shock 3-0 loss to Watford.
I tipped the Reds to grind out another win after a first-half stalemate but instead they collapsed after the break and shipped three goals to the struggling Hornets.
So it will be interesting to see how they react in a tough FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge as Jurgen Klopp's men aim to emulate Manchester United's class of 1999 by winning the league, FA Cup and Champions League.
Klopp (below) has fielded shadow teams in the FA Cup so far only for his youngsters to see off Everton and Shrewsbury to reach the last 16.
But I'd be surprised if Liverpool weren't at close to full strength for this one as they bid to bounce back from that Watford calamity.
With Chelsea needing a Champions League miracle to get past Bayern Munich, the FA Cup offers Frank Lampard the only chance to cap his debut season as manager with a trophy.
But the Blues are in patchy form, with the weekend draw at Bournemouth making it just two wins in their last eight games.
So they will need to up their game significantly if they are to inflict back-to-back defeats on the champions elect.
How the bookies view it
Many people will be surprised to see Chelsea as 5/4 favourites with Ladbrokes and Liverpool 2/1 with most firms but that's probably down to Klopp's tinkering for FA Cup matches.
The stalemate is 3/1 at 888Sport and that looks the best option to me, although it all depends on how strong a team the Reds boss fields.
Recent head to head
It ended 2-1 to Liverpool when these teams met at Stamford Bridge in the league earlier this season, with goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino making the difference.
That was the second meeting between them this season after a 2-2 thriller in the European Super Cup back in August, with the Reds prevailing on penalties.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last four games with Chelsea, who last victory was a 2-1 EFL Cup win at Anfield two years ago.
Their last FA Cup meeting was the 2012 final, with the Blues winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba (below).
Players to watch
Both managers could make a few changes to freshen up their sides so it's tricky to predict who offers the best value in the goalscorer markets.
Jorginho is always worth considering as he takes penalties and I thought he would start here with N'Golo Kante still out injured. He's 5/1 with 888Sport for anytime scorer but has been left on the bench so it's best to look elsewhere.
Willian is 9/2 with Unibet for anytime scorer and that looks decent value given his shooting prowess from distance.
Youngster Curtis Jones has been an FA Cup talisman for Liverpool, scoring a stunning winner against Everton and also getting on the scoresheet against Shrewsbury.
He's 15/4 with Unibet to net here but I'm not sure if the winger will start. So it may be safer to go with Sadio Mane at 21/10 with Unibet, given he netted twice against Chelsea in the Super Cup.
Anything else catch the eye?
Chelsea's defence has been fragile all season while the Liverpool rearguard have shipped five goals in their last two games so it bodes well for an open cup tie.
Both teams to score should come up at 4/6 with Unibet while over 2.5 goals also looks likely at 35/70 with Marathonbet.
Games between these sides can be feisty and there were six yellow cards when they faced off at Stamford Bridge in the league earlier this season. So try over 3.5 cards, although the bookies have yet to price up that market.
This FA Cup match between Chelsea and Liverpool will be played on Mar 3, 2020 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
