Liverpool have won their last four matches and are fancied to overcome Chelsea in Wednesday's EFL Cup tie.
Progress in the domestic cups is a top priority for Chelsea, given their absence from European competitions.
Blues boss Xabi Alonso signalled his intentions from the start of the EFL Cup by selecting key attackers Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in the 2-0 home win over Luton Town.
However, Alonso's offensive options for this trip to Merseyside are limited by Palmer's one-match suspension and Joao Pedro's injury.
Chelsea sorely missed Joao Pedro for Saturday's Premier League fixture at home to Tottenham and they were well below par in a damaging 2-0 defeat.
The Blues' difficult weekend contrasted sharply with Liverpool, who sealed an impressive 2-0 home win over Brighton.
Alexander Isak completed the scoring against the in-form Seagulls, who were defeated for the first time since August.
However, the Swede may be limited to a substitute role against Chelsea, with Reds boss Andoni Iraola keen to hold back some of his key men for Sunday's high-stakes Premier League match at home to Arsenal.
Liverpool v Chelsea Tips Summary
Best Bet - HT/FT - Draw/Liverpool @ 5/1
Alternative Bet - Cody Gakpo to score anytime @ 13/8
Bet Builder - Liverpool to win, Cody Gakpo 1+ attempt on target & Romeo Lavia to be carded @ 15/2
Liverpool v Chelsea Prediction
Best Bet: HT/FT - Draw/Liverpool @ 5/1
Liverpool may be far from full strength for their EFL Cup clash against Chelsea, but they should have quality on the bench, which may help them win a closely fought contest.
The Reds may take a similar approach to the third-round tie at home against Tottenham, when fringe players like Joe Gomez, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell started in a 3-1 win.
But they had plenty of talent on the bench, including Dominik Szoboszlai, who came off the bench to score a superb, match-clinching third goal.
Szoboszlai is ruled out of the Chelsea game with a thigh strain, but Liverpool have plenty of other high-profile players available to impact the contest.
Chelsea have a less intense fixture schedule and seem more likely to select their senior players.
But they struggled to strike the right balance in their defeat to Tottenham and, if they fail to make early headway against Liverpool, they will leave themselves vulnerable.
Liverpool's youngsters have shown encouraging signs and, if they can maintain parity until the break, the senior men will have opportunities to come off the bench and play a match-winning role.
Alternative Bet: Cody Gakpo to score anytime @ 13/8
Cody Gakpo starred in Liverpool's third-round home win over Tottenham, scoring and assisting, and could play a key role against the Blues.
The 27-year-old was strongly linked with a summer switch away from Merseyside, but has knuckled down and remains a key part of the squad.
Gakpo netted for Liverpool in last season's 2-1 Premier League loss at Stamford Bridge and can make another contribution against the London side.
Liverpool v Chelsea Bet Builder Tip
Liverpool to win
Cody Gakpo 1+ attempt on target
Romeo Lavia to be carded
Pays 15/2
Liverpool have a busy schedule to contend with, but they are keen to compete on all fronts and can make home advantage count against an injury and suspension hit Chelsea side.
Iraola's outfit were under pressure after losing 3-0 to Manchester City on their return from the international break.
But they have responded with four straight wins and look in better shape than Chelsea, who were outplayed for large parts of Sunday's loss at home to Spurs.
Liverpool could make a few changes, but Gakpo is expected to feature and he can at least test the reflexes of under pressure Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders.
The Blues will want to give Penders plenty of cover, which could mean a few robust challenges from tough-tackling midfielder Romeo Lavia, who was cautioned twice for Belgium in the September and October Nations League fixtures.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Liverpool have won six of their last seven matches
The Reds have started the scoring in five of their last seven games
Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight fixtures
Chelsea have lost six of their last nine away matches
Both teams have scored in three of Liverpool's last four games
Twelve of Chelsea's last 14 away fixtures have generated at least three goals
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
