Liverpool vs Chelsea: Premier League team news and prediction

Five teams have won both opening Premier League games this season and two of them lock horns at Anfield on Saturday evening. Liverpool and Chelsea resume rivalries on Merseyside and with title aspirations, can claim an early scalp in the final gameweek before the international break. 

Ahead of Saturday's game at Anfield, we provide all the pre-match information, including where to watch the match, what time this clash kicks off, team news and probable XIs... 

When is kick off?       

Saturday 28th August, 17:30 GMT       

Where is the match?       

Anfield, Liverpool 

What TV channel is it on?       

Sky Sports Premier League / Sky Sports Main Event 

Last meeting 

Mason Mount's goal on the stroke of half time proved crucial when these two last met. Chelsea, now managed by Thomas Tuchel, were gunning for a top-four finish and a huge win at Anfield saw them take a huge step to wrap up a Champions League finish. The game marked another impressive performance for Mount as Chelsea deserved the narrow 1-0 win in April earlier this year. 

Team News 

Curtis Jones misses out for the Reds through injury. Fabinho sat out the win over Burnley after the passing of his father, but he could return to the side in midfield, while Thiago is pushing for a start in midfield. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sat out last week following the birth of his first child, yet is available, and James Milner will be assessed. Andy Robertson is fit to start at left-back and could replace Kostas Tsimikas despite the Greek's solid start to the campaign. 

Hakim Ziyech and N'Golo Kante were both back on the bench in the 2-0 win at Arsenal last week and the latter is expected to start at the expense of Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park. Christian Pulisic remains sidelined after contracting COVID-19, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back training after he returned a negative test. Trevoh Chalobah was benched for the trip across the capital, perhaps unfairly so, however is unlikely to regain his place. 

Probable XIs 

Liverpool (433) - Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Jota, Mane

Chelsea (3421) - Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Havertz, Mount; Lukaku

Key Battle: Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Reece James

Two young English right-backs are hoping to catch the eye when Liverpool host Chelsea on Saturday evening. Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James featured in the Premier League team of the week after solid outings against Burnley and Arsenal, respectively, and, at the time of writing, Alexander-Arnold has made more key passes (10) than any other player in the Premier League last season.

James, meanwhile, struggled to nail down a starting spot under Thomas Tuchel when he initially took over the reins in January, yet has come on leaps and bounds for the Blues and comes into the meeting at Anfield on the back of his best rated WhoScored performance as he garnered a rating of 8.97.

Score Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea