CHELSEA finally lost patience with their Graham Potter experiment over the weekend and will now try to salvage something from a nightmare season, starting with the visit of Liverpool in the Premier League.
Few managers survive a run of just five wins in 20 games at club the size of Chelsea and the axe duly fell on Potter after Saturday's 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa saw the Blues slump to 11th in the Premier League table.
The timing of his departure was a little surprising, however, with a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid looming later this month. That tournament represents Chelsea's only chance of success this season and it now looks like caretaker boss Bruno Saltor will be in charge for that massive tie.
With the Blues sitting just five points behind seventh-placed Brentford there is still a chance they can salvage a European slot from the wreckage of a campaign that has seen them get little return for spending over £500million on new players.
But they can't afford many more slips and it will be interesting to see how the under-performing stars respond when they face a Liverpool side who have also fallen way short of the standard required this season.
Saturday's 4-1 loss at Manchester City, which brought up a full house of tips for me, was another blow to Jurgen Klopp's hopes of securing a Champions League slot.
That has left the Reds eight points off the top four in eighth place and they sit just four points ahead of Chelsea, summing up how bad their league campaign has been.
Klopp has enough credit in the bank at Anfield to avoid his own job coming under scrutiny but this looks like a must-win game if Liverpool are to have any hope of sitting at Europe's top table next term.
How the bookies view it
With both sides in poor form it's a difficult match to call. Chelsea are a best 31/20 at SpreadEx while Liverpool are 37/20 with Unibet and the draw pays 13/5 at BetUK.
Recent head to head
It was a dreary stalemate when these sides faced off at Anfield earlier this season and that followed successive 0-0 draws in the FA and League Cup Finals last season, with Liverpool winning both matches on penalties.
The last five meetings have all ended in draws and the Reds have only just edged the head-to-head over the last five seasons, winning four and losing three.
Players to watch
Potter couldn't find a way to get the best out of Joao Felix but the Atletico Madrid loanee still looks the most accomplished forward on their books. It will be interesting to see how Saltor deploys him and the Portugal star is 12/5 at Bet365 for a goal.
Even though Liverpool have been in poor form this season, Mo Salah has still managed to rack up 25 goals for club and country this season. The Egyptian scored at the Etihad on Saturday and is 9/4 with William Hill for another strike here.
Anything else catch the eye?
With so many stalemates in this fixture of late, the half-time draw looks a good option at 13/10 with Unibet. I'm also surprised to see under 2.5 goals as big as evens with Bet365 given we haven't seen a single goal in the last three meetings. Even though both sides haven't been defending well, it could be cagey with a new man in the Blues dugout.
Cody Gakpo has been showing flashes of brilliance since his move to Liverpool from PSV and I like the 19/20 on offer at Unibet for the winger to have a shot on target.
Fabinho was lucky to escape a yellow card at the Etihad on Saturday and is always at the heart of the midfield battle. He has five yellows from his last 10 outings and the Brazilian is 9/4 at Unibet to be carded.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool will be played on Apr 4, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. 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.
Chelsea vs Liverpool Betting Tips & Predictions
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The Mighty reds to win 0-2