Liverpool host Chelsea on Saturday, with Jurgen Klopp’s side looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Reds bounced back from a humbling 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion with a 1-0 victory against Wolves in the FA Cup in midweek. The victory, courtesy of Harvey Elliott’s wonder strike, sent the Reds through to the fourth round of the competition where they will face another trip to Brighton.
This is the first meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea this season, with the Blues currently 10th in the league. But, Graham Potter’s side has made five signings already this month as they look to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season.
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The Reds faced Chelsea four times last season, with all four clashes ending in draws over 90 minutes. So, could Liverpool pick up three points at Anfield this weekend?
Liverpool vs Chelsea score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions. Recent form impacts players' ratings in FIFA 23, so the Blues squad was lower-rated than usual heading into this simulation.
We predict that Liverpool could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Matip, Robertson; Bajcetic, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Elliott.
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Badiashile, Hall; Gallagher, Kovacic, Jorginho; Ziyech, Havertz, Mount.
Liverpool started the clash as the much better side, controlling the tempo of the game and testing the Chelsea goal on multiple occasions. After a mistake at the back from the Blues, Klopp's side took a deserved lead through Mohamed Salah.
As Kepa went to clear the ball upfield, the 'keeper scuffed his clearance and the ball fell to the feet of Darwin Nunez 20 yards from goal. The striker spotted the run of Salah on the left, and when the ball reached the Egyptian he fired past the 'keeper at the near post to make it 1-0.
Chelsea found an equaliser four minutes before half-time when Mason Mount's scuffed shot fell to the feet of Hakim Ziyech who tapped in at the back post. It was a poor goal to concede from the Reds' point of view, but they regained the lead seven minutes after the restart through Nunez.
Cody Gakpo was brought on for the injured Harvey Elliott at half-time, and the Dutchman was involved instantly as he was sent through on goal by Thiago's long ball forward. Running away from goal, Kepa rushed off his line to try and close the gap for Gakpo, but the forward smartly cut the ball back for Nunez, allowing the striker to sweep the ball into an empty net.
Stefan Bacjetic was pulling his weight in midfield with an impressive performance, and the Spaniard managed to grab an assist in the 64th minute, setting up Nunez for his second and the Reds' third. As Liverpool charged at Chelsea on the break, Bacjetic was picked out by Salah on the overlap as the 18-year-old surged towards the byline.
The midfielder chipped a cross into the centre of the box towards Nunez, and the striker directed the ball into the bottom corner with a diving header to make it 3-1. Chelsea pulled a goal back with 15 minutes to go when substitute Mykhalio Mudryk lobbed Alisson from outside the box, and the game was suddenly level with six minutes remaining as Kai Havertz scored.
Some poor marking saw the German go through on goal, and after his original shot was saved by Alisson, Havertz headed home the rebound from close range to draw the game level and limit the Reds to just one point.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Liverpool 3-3 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that Liverpool's attack could be back to their best on Saturday, but another poor defensive display saw the Reds sacrifice a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 against Chelsea in the simulation. Nunez grabbed two on his return as the striker is predicted to cause problems, but Chelsea's pace on the counterattack caused issues for the Reds, costing Klopp's side an important three points.
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