Liverpool could pick up a huge three points in their battle for a Premier League top-four spot when they face Chelsea on Tuesday night.
After going ahead versus Manchester City in their last outing, Pep Guardiola’s side scored four without response in a 4-1 loss for the Reds. Jurgen Klopp claimed the Reds made it too easy for City, and Liverpool will need to improve massively when they face Chelsea.
The Blues are in just as poor form as the Reds in recent weeks, but the sacking of Graham Potter means Chelsea will enter the clash without a manager. Liverpool are currently eight points off the Premier League top four, so victory seems vital to keep their Champions League hopes alive for next season.
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So, could the Reds return to winning ways on Tuesday? We simulated the game and this is what happened.
Chelsea vs Liverpool simulated to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; Chalobah, Koulibaly, Badiashile; James, Fernandez, Kovacic, Chilwell; Mount, Havertz, Felix.
We predict that Liverpool could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Milner, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Nunez.
Liverpool were dominant in the first half at Stamford Bridge, doing everything right, apart from finding the net. Virgil van Dijk had the best set of chances with the defender hitting the bar and testing Kepa from two corners, but the Reds did open the scoring after the break through Darwin Nunez.
Back in the starting XI, Nunez used his pace to overlap Trevoh Chalobah and beat the defender to James Milner's long ball before cutting inside and going one-on-one with Kepa. After sending his marker to the floor, Nunez was under no defensive pressure, and the Uruguayan calmly slotted the ball underneath the 'keeper to make it 1-0.
After going ahead, the Reds failed to build on their lead, instead sitting off Chelsea and inviting unnecessary pressure. A triple sub from the Londoners saw the game tilt in their favour, and one of their substitutes grabbed an equaliser with just over 20 minutes to go.
Ben Chilwell beat Trent Alexander-Arnold on the halfway line before advancing up the pitch, and the defender sent a deep cross towards Noni Madueke at the back post. The ball bounced awkwardly as Andrew Robertson scuffed his clearance into the air, and Madueke met the ball as it fell back down, with his brave header beating the outrushing Alisson and nestling into the net.
It was just Chelsea's fourth shot of the game, with a poor 15 minutes from Liverpool allowing the Blues back into the game. Klopp made some changes of his own, and with 12 minutes remaining, his side regained the lead.
As the Reds worked the ball around the Chelsea box, Fabinho spotted Diogo Jota in a pocket of space just outside the box, and the Brazilian found the forward with a drilled pass into his feet. A fantastic first touch took Jota towards goal, and despite a deflection on its way through, his effort beat Kepa, claiming a big three points for Liverpool.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that Liverpool could produce the perfect response to their loss against City, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the simulation. Victory at Stamford Bridge would keep the Reds' top-four hopes intact ahead of their clash with top-of-the-league Arsenal at the end of the week.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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