Chelsea v Liverpool: Reds confident of another upset

Fernando Torres is set to lead the Chelsea line against the club that received £50m for his services, but a poor record against his former employers should have the Liverpool fans elated at his projected inclusion.

The Spaniard is favourite to open the scoring at 13/2 with Ladbrokes – who are promising to be the best price on both first goalscorer and correct score prices on this game – but after notching seven goals in eight Liverpool games against Chelsea, this fixture has not proved as profitable for him since his move to west London.

Not only has he failed to score in any of the four games he’s featured donning Chelsea blue, but he has been on the losing side on each occasion. The one game in which his new club have come out on top since he left Anfield, Torres was an unused substitute.

The Reds are priced at 3/1, while Chelsea can be backed at 10/11 and the draw is at 12/5. This means that more Liverpool joy in this fixture is not forecast, which is understandable given the contrasting league positions of these two.

However, they have not lost a Premier League clash since Man United got the better of them six games ago and should not fear a Chelsea side who have been enduring a bit of a wobble since the same opponents beat them 3-2 at the Bridge recently.

This game is one of seven in which the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet, conceding in three of the past five games inside 10 minutes.

Liverpool have an extra five minutes available to them if they’re to ensure backers of the 11/2 that says they’ll notch inside the opening 15 are paid out, while 6/4 says Brendan Rodgers’ men will score the first goal of the game.

Chelsea’s defensive frailties mean that if punters want to capitalise on Ladbrokes’ best prices offer they should turn to a Liverpool player in the first goalscorer stakes. With 10 goals to his name so far and the only true world class talent left in the Reds’ ranks, back Luis Suarez to get the ball rolling in this one at 7/1.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date