Super Sunday betting preview & tips: Mark O'Haire previews Chelsea v Liverpool with latest odds, prediction & best bets
In his weekly Super Sunday preview for Sporting Life, renowned tipster Mark O'Haire picks out the value ahead of Chelsea v Liverpool.
Recommended bets
2pts Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score at 17/20
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Chelsea v Liverpool
- 1630 BST kick-off on Sky Sports
- Match Odds: Home 9/4 | Draw 11/4 | Away 6/5
Super Sunday’s feature fixtures pits together potential Premier League title challengers Chelsea and defending champions Liverpool in what’s expected to be a real humdinger from Stamford Bridge. Both sides opened their accounts with wins last weekend and will know maximum points from the capital clash would put them in a strong early position.
While we shouldn’t be drawing sweeping conclusions from just one outing, Chelsea flattered to deceive for large parts of their opener at Brighton. Frank Lampard selected big-money signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in his XI from the off but the Blues struggled to find their range and rhythm with the final 3-1 scoreline in their favour a touch generous.
Defensive question marks remained unanswered with Ben Chilwell recovering from injury and Thiago Silva still acclimatising to life in London. Last season Chelsea conceded 54 goals – their worst tally since 1997 – as well as recording just nine clean sheets – their lowest figure in the Premier League era – and Lampard is hoping to have the two new recruits ready here.
Nevertheless, Werner in particular, appeared sharp on his league debut and should provide the Blues with the clinical firepower and pace that was perhaps absent in an enjoyable first season under Lampard’s watch. Havertz will also be better for the run so Chelsea should relish the prospect of welcoming Liverpool after their own lax backline display last week.
Leeds made life uncomfortable for Liverpool at Anfield, hassling and harrying, putting pressure on the Reds’ backline with a firm focus on attacking the space behind the Merseysiders’ flying full-backs. Liverpool may have eventually secured top honours in a ding-dong battle but there was a degree of rustiness in their defensive performance.
Intriguingly, Liverpool saw 13 of their first 15 Premier League encounters feature both sides scoring en-route to the title as it took time for the Reds’ to click into gear. Another languid showing is bound to be punished at Stamford Bridge, although the visitors still deserve strong favouritism with their own star trio set-up to exploit Chelsea’s weaknesses.
Jurgen Klopp has talked about maintaining a “winning machine” attitude as Liverpool bid to retain their crown and last Saturday’s inevitable 4-3 triumph over Leeds extended their points haul to 199 from a possible 231 since the beginning of 2018/19. Liverpool have won a remarkable 63 (82%) of those 77 games, losing on only four occasions – half of which arrived after the title was secured!
We know what to expect from Liverpool and I’m counting on that relentless approach paying dividends when it comes to Super Sunday’s showdown. Chelsea remain a work in progress and we still require hard evidence to suggest they’ve closed the gap on the leaders. After all, the Blues were beaten in five of six meetings against Manchester City and Liverpool last term.
The Reds are fair enough at the prices but combining Klopp’s charges with a goals-based approach could provide punters with a bit more insurance at a palatable price. Taking Liverpool in the Double Chance market alongside Both Teams To Score is an appealing even-money option with Betfair/Paddy Power and looks a reasonable route in.
However, goals are clearly anticipated considering six of Liverpool’s nine trips to the top-half last term featured Over 2.5 Goals and seven of Chelsea’s 10 against the top-six following suit.
The Blues kept only two shutouts when welcoming top-10 outfits to Stamford Bridge in Lampard’s maiden campaign, whilst three of four meetings with Man City and Liverpool saw BTTS backers collect. Therefore, Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score is the play at 4/5.
Score prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Odds correct at 1630 BST 17/09/20
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