Preview: Liverpool vs Chelsea — Champions League battle at Anfield
On May 9, in the central match of the 36th round of the Premier League, Liverpool host Chelsea at home. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the Champions League zone, and this head-to-head clash will be decisive in the race for the top four.
Main Event
On May 9, 2026, at the legendary Anfield stadium, the central match of the 36th round of the English Premier League will take place, with Liverpool hosting London's Chelsea. The kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM British time. Both clubs share a rich history of rivalry, with exactly 200 official meetings, but this time the context of the duel is far from the traditional title battle — the teams are separated by a 10-point gap, and while the hosts desperately cling to a Champions League spot, the visitors risk being left without European competition altogether.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot faces a personnel crisis unprecedented even for club veterans. The Reds' infirmary is overflowing: seven first-team players, including Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker, have yet to return to full training and will not take the field. Nevertheless, Alexander Isak and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili are returning to the squad, giving Slot options in attack and in goal.
Chelsea is still led by interim manager Calum MacFarlane, who replaced the head coach sacked during the season. The team is in a deep playing crisis: six consecutive Premier League defeats with a combined score of 2-14, a complete loss of confidence, and the second-worst defensive record in the league. The only bright spot is the upcoming FA Cup final, but in the league, the Londoners are on the verge of repeating a club anti-record from seventy years ago.
Details and Statistics
The league table ahead of the meeting looks contrasting. Liverpool, with 58 points after 35 rounds, sits in fourth place, six points ahead of fifth-placed Bournemouth. To guarantee a Champions League spot, Slot's side needs at least four points from their final three games, and a win over Chelsea would almost seal the deal — only a slip-up by Bournemouth in their parallel match against Fulham would be needed for full certainty.
Chelsea, with 48 points, languishes in ninth place, nine points behind the European spots. Even mathematical chances of finishing in the top six look slim: the Blues need to win all remaining matches and hope for rivals to drop points. Hopes for the Champions League are completely lost, as even the most loyal fans admit.
Analysts and bookmakers are unanimous — all four leading experts, including Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, predict a confident home win. Their arguments revolve around Chelsea's deep defensive crisis and the Anfield factor. Shearer called the Londoners' play "wretched" and "disorderly," expressing the opinion that the team is simply "playing out the season."
Head-to-head statistics at Anfield also favor the hosts: Liverpool have won 87 of 200 meetings, with 67 Chelsea wins and 46 draws. Moreover, the Blues have only one away win in their last ten visits to Merseyside.
Paul Merson, in his column, called the current Chelsea "a young team without a backbone, desperately lacking a 30-year-old leader on the pitch." In his opinion, the coaching staff is making a mistake by using Cole Palmer on the wing rather than in the center behind the striker.
The personnel situation of both clubs deserves special mention. Liverpool have seven players out: Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker continue their recovery and are not training with the main group, making their participation in the remaining matches of the season unlikely. Stefan Bajcetic, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Wataru Endo, and Giovanni Leoni are out long-term. The return of Alexander Isak and goalkeeper Mamardashvili partially eases the personnel crisis but does not solve the depth problem.
Chelsea have also suffered significant losses: goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and defender Jesse Derry are out for the season with head injuries sustained in the previous round against Nottingham Forest (1-3). Additionally, the participation of wingers Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto is in doubt due to "minor injuries." Positive news for MacFarlane is the return of defenders Levi Colwill and Reece James, who have completed a full week of training and are ready to start.
Context and Significance
The drama of the match extends far beyond a single encounter. For Liverpool, this is not just a game — it is a moment of truth in a highly inconsistent season, which the team has spent on a rollercoaster, suffering eleven defeats in sixteen matches where the defense conceded two or more goals. The loss to Manchester United (2-3) in the previous round somewhat tarnished the end of the championship for the Merseysiders, but Aston Villa's parallel slip-up preserved the status quo in the fight for a top-four spot.
The situation around Chelsea is on the brink of disaster. The team, which spent over €600 million on transfers in two seasons, risks finishing outside the European spots and suffering seven consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since 1952. The atmosphere at the club is further strained by uncertainty over the head coach: MacFarlane is seen only as a temporary option until the end of the season, while the management is negotiating with two candidates from continental Europe, with a proposed salary of around €9 million per year.
For Russian fans, the presence of players from the post-Soviet space in both squads is of particular interest. Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk, whose transfer cost Chelsea €70 million, is still trying to justify the investment. In the Liverpool squad, Dominik Szoboszlai stands out, having scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists in all competitions this season, becoming the first Reds midfielder since Steven Gerrard to reach double figures in both statistical categories.
What's Next / Next Match Preview
If they beat Chelsea, Liverpool will have 61 points and be one step away from formally securing a Champions League spot. Slot's team has a relatively comfortable remaining schedule: after hosting Chelsea, the Merseysiders face an away trip to a mid-table side and a home game against an unmotivated opponent. However, given the personnel shortage, any loss of concentration could be fatal.
For Chelsea, this match will be the final rehearsal before the FA Cup final, which takes place at Wembley in a week. MacFarlane faces a difficult dilemma: field the strongest lineup and risk player fitness before the cup final, or continue experimenting, condemning the team to a seventh consecutive defeat. Regardless of the result at Anfield, the club's management will have to make a strategic decision about the direction of the entire project this summer.
— Editorial Team
