By Gianni Verschueren
The Blues have a slight advantage thanks to the away goal, but they come into the match on the back of an embarrassing 4-2 defeat against Bradford City on Saturday, and the Reds will present the Premier League leaders with a tough challenge.
Brendan Rodgers' troops haven't lost a match since December, a 3-0 loss against Manchester United, and while the draw against Bolton brought their momentum to a halt, the in-form Reds won't go down quietly at Stamford Bridge.
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV Info and Live Stream: The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports 1 (for UK viewers) and beIN Sports (for U.S. viewers), with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and beIN Sports Connect.
Team News
The big story coming out of Anfield this week is the return of Daniel Sturridge, who has been training with his teammates after missing virtually all of the first half of the campaign due to an injury:
In his absence, Liverpool's forwards have failed to produce in front of goal, with Mario Balotelli in particular struggling.
Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini have been serviceable, creating space for the likes of Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana to help out in the scoring department, but the squad has lacked a top finisher capable of deciding close fixtures.
Sturridge has the potential to be that designated scorer, and while he was widely expected to return to the pitch at some point in February, the Liverpool Echo reports he impressed enough in training to perhaps make the bench for Tuesday's match:
Rodgers has been impressed with his team's improvements over the last couple of weeks, and he told the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce the Reds will travel to Stamford Bridge believing in their chances:
It will be a different game at Stamford Bridge but we are going into the game with no fear.
We will do everything we can to get to Wembley. Winning a trophy is a priority and it is a one-off game to get us there. We certainly won’t underestimate Chelsea. We know that every element of our game has to be at a high level. Particularly away from home, our form and resilience has been getting better and better.
Their result at the weekend doesn’t help. They will have great motivation and after a game like that you want to put it right, but there is also in the back of your mind even if you are 2-0 up you can lose so there will be a wee bit of trepidation.
They had a tough result but they are an outstanding side.
Balotelli was dropped from Liverpool's squad for the FA Cup tie against Bolton, and the club's rush to get Sturridge back to the pitch suggests Rodgers' confidence in the Italy international is at an all-time low. He's unlikely to feature much against the Blues, if at all.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho took the defeat to Bradford City particularly hard, as he told reporters (h/t Goal UK) he refused to speak to his players after the 4-2 loss:
The Blues mainly fielded backups against Bradford City and have little injury concerns going into the semi-final against Liverpool, with starters like Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Willian expected to return to the starting XI.
The club's ability to rotate players and rest key contributors could play a big part on Tuesday, taking advantage of the heavy schedule the Reds have faced in recent weeks. Sterling in particular has been playing heavy minutes, and he'll once again be key on Tuesday.
With Chelsea's elimination from the FA Cup, this semi-final tie against Liverpool has become even more important for a club that has looked like the dominant force in England all season. Mourinho didn't hide how he felt about the tie, according to the Blues' official Twitter feed:
With a trip to Wembley Stadium for the Capital One Cup final on the line, the importance of Tuesday's match simply can't be understated.
Prediction
Chelsea needed a heroic performance from Courtois to escape Anfield with a draw in the first leg, a highly entertaining affair in which the Reds were simply the better team.
The Blues have responded well to setbacks all season, however, and the loss against Bradford City should lead to a far improved performance on Tuesday. Against Liverpool's relatively inexperienced squad, I expect Chelsea to pull through after another close and spectacular match.
Final score: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (Chelsea advance on aggregate, 3-2)
Article Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2342684-chelsea-vs-liverpool-second-leg-live-stream-tv-info-prediction-and-team-news
