Chelsea will take on Liverpool in the fifth round of the FA Cup, and it will undoubtedly be the highlight fixture of the round involving the two Premier League sides.
The Blues will look to take advantage of Liverpool’s patchy run of form, as the Red were beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season by lowly Watford last Saturday.
Chelsea themselves have not been in good form of late. Frank Lampard’s side have won just one of their last five games in all competitions, and need to pick up their performance, else they run the risk of finishing outside the top four in the Premier League, and get dumped out of the FA Cup.
They will be buoyed by their come from behind draw against Bournemouth, but will need to do more against a Liverpool team who haven’t lost too many games this season and will look to put Saturday’s defeat behind them.
Chelsea Team News
Lampard has already said that he will not make wholesale changes to the team, but add some freshness to the Chelsea lineup come Tuesday night. The Blues will be without key midfielder N’Golo Kante, while attackers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic are unlikely to face the Reds either.
Key striker Tammy Abraham is still unavailable, so we could see Olivier Giroud get another start for Chelsea.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Liverpool
Defence
The Blues have used a three-man defence in recent games, and we expect that to continue against Liverpool. Although Willy Caballero has been given a good run-out, we could see Kepa Arrizabalaga get a chance to redeem himself in goal. If Liverpool go with their regular front-three, then Kepa could have a busy night at Stamford Bridge.
In front of the Spaniard, we could see a three-man defence featuring Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Fikayo Tomori.
Reece James and Marcos Alonso could start as the wing-backs. Chelsea will have to be wary of the Liverpool full-backs who usually bomb forward, but it will also give them the opportunity to hurt the Reds on the break.
Midfield
With Kanté injured, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho could start at the heart of midfield as the double pivot. The two will have to match Liverpool’s midfield work-ethic, as Jürgen Klopp’s side are usually immaculate in winning the loose balls and recirculating possession.
Attack
Willian and Ross Barkley could make the Chelsea lineup as the duo didn’t start against Bournemouth on Saturday. Giroud should lead the line, though Lampard will be tempted to go with the fresher Michy Batshuayi.
