Liverpool host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday in a match that could not come at a better time.

The Anfield faithful will still be somewhat deflated after the 3-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but this next match presents a real opportunity for the Reds to make up for it.

Chelsea have had a turbulent few months and are limping to the finish this season — the Reds need to be ruthless.  

Battered Blues are there for the taking

Before the loss at Old Trafford, Liverpool had strung together a nice chain of league wins: a tidy two-nil against Fulham, a dramatic derby triumph against Everton, and a comfortable victory against Crystal Palace.  

Chelsea, on the other hand, have been in utter disarray. You’d have to look back to the beginning of March for the last time they won in the league, and since then, they have lost six straight league matches.

If they lose at Anfield, it will be the first time they’ve lost seven in a row since 1952 — and only the second time they’ve hit such a slump in their history.

The Stamford Bridge club is now on its third manager of the season after sacking Liam Rosenior in April. Calum McFarlane, who is Rosenior’s former assistant, will be in the dugout for his third match as interim head coach. After losing 3-1 to relegation battlers Nottingham Forest in the last outing, he will have his work cut out for him here. 

The Blues will also have one eye on their upcoming FA Cup final vs. Man City — no prizes for guessing who the bookies’ favorites are to lift the cup, but hey, anything can happen in a final. 

Saturday’s match is the perfect opportunity for Arne Slot’s men to get a statement win against a big side and set themselves up for a positive end to an underwhelming season.

The Anfield faithful needs this

Liverpool were far from their best at Old Trafford. They only came back from 2-0 down due to a catalog of errors from their opponents, and it looked like Slot’s men might head back to Merseyside with at least a point despite being poor for most of the game. A gut-punch of a goal from Kobbie Mainoo killed that fantasy.

In an underwhelming season, this defeat would have been particularly hard on the fans since it meant Man Utd completed the double over Liverpool for the first time in over a decade.

But it gets worse as it was also the first time in 113 years that both Manchester clubs beat Liverpool home and away in a league season. 

Speaking of Manchester clubs, Chelsea will likely prioritize the FA Cup against Man City on May 16 and rotate their lineup for this game, which should play into Liverpool’s hands even more.

The necessity to rotate the squad and the unsettled managerial situation at Stamford Bridge create the perfect storm for the Merseysiders to win comfortably here.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea is historically a tight fixture, and a dominant Liverpool win would lift spirits after last weekend’s loss to their bitter rivals became the latest in a long list of poor results this season. 

Champions League security

Liverpool look likely to be among Europe’s elite next season right now, but they still need four points to guarantee a Champions League spot.

They end the season at Anfield against Brentford and will be looking to avenge the 3-2 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium in October. But before that, they also have to travel to Aston Villa.

Unai Emery’s team has exceeded expectations this season with a Europa League final berth and a Premier League top-four spot with just three league matches left.

Although equal on points with Liverpool in the league table, the Birmingham side will want to prove that they deserve to be among Europe’s heavyweights. A Villa Park win over the Premier League champions would be the perfect end to a season in which their fans have had plenty to celebrate.

But let’s not look too far ahead. One game at a time. 

Chelsea are in a rough patch, and Slot’s men need to be ruthless here. Liverpool have been unconvincing and lacked the ruthlessness that you would expect from defending champions — that has been the story of their season. Saturday is another chance to finally tell a different story.

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