Having already won at Stamford Bridge this season, Liverpool return to London with different priorities. A sluggish start since their return from the winter break has seen the club struggle to get going in each of their games. With a UEFA Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on the horizon, Liverpool might take the chance to rest and relax their squad a little. For Chelsea, though, 2020 has been a nightmare. Leathered 3-0 by FC Bayern at home to add to an already poor home record, and the Blues need a lift at home. Can they find one against the European champions?

Chelsea news

Chelsea are facing a bit of an injury build-up to a squad that shouldn’t be thin, but somehow is. Despite ample resources, the (likely) loss of Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and N’Golo Kante are all tough hits. However, despite the first three being touch and go, the last one is almost certainly the most painful one.

Liverpool are excellent at ball retention these days, and Chelsea could struggle without N’Kante offering enough dynamism to keep Liverpool hurried.

Liverpool news

Expect some rotation – a fair amount, in fact. The only thing that might limit rotation are injuries. The likely loss of James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri is a blow to two players who really should be playing in matches like this. The continued absence of Jordan Henderson, who so often thrives against Chelsea, could be a major hit, too.

However, we could see some of the young talent from previous rounds – especially Curtis Jones and Neco Williams – be given a chance. Klopp has given young players a chance at the deep end before and could choose to do so again here.

Verdict

Liverpool to progress. Chelsea could do with progression more, given their poor form. However, their Stamford Bridge form is hard to back in any kind of positive sense. We could see a good game, though; Klopp often plays rotational sides in the cup, which can often bring a fair amount of goals.