Liverpool and Chelsea Meet in a Blockbuster

One of the biggest fixtures in modern day football takes place this weekend, as two institutes of the "Big Four" clash in a fiery encounter as Liverpool look to haul back the massive deficit they have in the league. This will be tough as a trip to Stamford Bridge is a daunting task at the best of times, let alone when Chelsea are up and firing.

Chelsea have been on an amazing run of form as of late, with the Carling Cup finalists only just missing out on a club record 10 straight wins, with a draw at home against a feisty Portsmouth team denying them their place in the record books. They will be buoyed by the return of their captain Frank Lampard, whilst Ricardo Cavarlho, Andriy Shevchenko, John Terry and John Obi Mikel are available for selection after overcoming a myriad of ailments and complaints. They will be relying heavily on the form of former Arsenal front man Nicolas Anelka. Since his high-profile move from Bolton Wanderers, he has been in consistent form but has not found the net as often as would be like, only adding once to his twelve goal tally.

Rafa Benitez has found himself under increasing scrutiny after early results belied his team's true form, and after the worst run of form under his control he may be coaching for his career. The absences will make his job that much harder with Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso, Andriy Voronin, Ryan Babel and Daniel Agger all missing from the first team lineup due to injury or suspension. With Torres ruled out, the attacking threat must come from the feet of Peter Crouch. Having been sidelined and forced to fight for his place in the side he has been unable to showcase his considerable talent, but this may be the stage he has waited for to announce himself.

Liverpool is in a slump at the moment, and with the players that are ruled out I cannot see Chelsea's home record being blemished by the Reds. I would take the $2.00 available for Chelsea at PartyBets

The value match of the week involves lowly Bolton Wanderers taking on an impressive Portsmouth team at the Reebok Arena.

Bolton have been impressive in hauling themselves out of the relegation dogfight, but with their talented forward Nicolas Anelka leaving for higher honors at Chelsea, they will be hard pressed to avoid the drop. Hardworking defender Joey O'Brien will be missing through injury, but influential midfielder Gavin McCann may return to the squad following a back injury. The club will need to quickly find a replacement for Anelka, the nearest goal scoring threat for the Wanderers is midfield dynamo Kevin Nolan with five goals.

Portsmouth will be aiming to utilize this match as they try to fight their way out of a form slump that will need to be corrected to have any chance of sneaking into the top six. Out of their last nine matches, they're only wins came against cellar dwellers in Reading and Derby. They will be hoping that with the return of Nwankwo Kanu, Papa Bouba Diop and John Utaka from the African Cup of Nations will be enough to raise their flagging spirits. They will have to do without their defensive leader as Sylvain Distin is in major doubt with a hamstring strain, while David Nugent is a definite miss with a hernia. Alongside Bolton, they have transferred their top scorer in the January transfer season, and will be hoping that new signings Jermaine Defoe and Milan Baros can have an immediate effect at the south-coast side.

Without Anelka, Bolton simply does not have the fire-power to trouble a side like Portsmouth. I would take the 2.75 available for Pompey at PartyBets

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