Premier League: Chelsea vs. Liverpool Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Chelsea and Liverpool clash in the first round of the English Premier League this Sunday afternoon. This is the first major game of the year, and as such, it created a hype one week before the kick-off. The Blues and the Reds should bring an enjoyable meeting judging by their performances during the preseason. Chelsea has plenty of new faces onboard, while Liverpool finally has all of its players at its disposal. 

Here are more previews for EPL Round 1:

• Manchester United vs. Wolves
• Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest
• Newcastle vs. Aston Villa

Preview

Chelsea (+190) lost Nkunku in the final part of the preseason, and that is a major bowl for Mauricio Pochettino. According to some of the sources, the Frenchman will be out for quite some time. He and the rest of the Chelsea offense clicked perfectly, which is why the team from Stamford scored 13 times in five preseason events.

We saw the Blues not losing any of those clashes, posting three wins and two draws, beating Wrexham, Brighton, and Fulham, while the matches against Newcastle and Dortmund finished without winners. 

Chelsea’s approach to the game will be far more different than during the previous year because Poch won’t be as defensive-minded as Tuchel and other managers. We expect to see the Blues very fast in transition because they have players who are extremely quick, and also to see them much more creative in the midfield.

Liverpool (+140) had its last preseason test against Darmstadt on Monday night, and the Reds ended it without problems, winning 3-1. They had five games during the summer, and in each one, the Reds netted at least three times, combining for 18 goals in total.

Their offense looks terrifying and incredible, with even more space for growth, as Diaz, Salah and Nunez, and the rest of the boys up front look as if they don’t play with 100% of their capacities. 

On the other side is the defense, which isn’t that confident. The backline often makes mistakes, which eventually result in goals, and Klopp won’t have too much time to correct all those issues. 

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As stated, the Blues won’t have Nkunku, and the latest prognosis includes months of his absence. 

Liverpool has no such problems with key players, and Klopp can count on all his top stars. 

Head to Head Games

Both games in the 2022/23 season ended without winners and without goals as well. It is interesting that the last six events saw a draw after the regular 90 minutes, though two were in the FA and the EFL Cups, where Liverpool had more luck in the additional time and on penalties. 

Five of those events saw under 2.5 hits. 

Prediction

Even though Nkunku isn’t playing, Chelsea still has one hell of an offense, able to break through any defense. Plus, the host will have big support from the stands. On the other hand, Liverpool has an even better attack but a worse defense. That’s why we are leaning toward both teams scoring in this matchup, with the odds on that set at -185. For those who want to increase the profits, add over 2.5 goals to this, and you’ll get -150. 

Pick: Both teams to score -185