Less than seven days after Jurgen Klopp announced that he will step down from his position at Liverpool in the summer of 2024, a heated discussion about a successor has already been launched. One of the main candidates is of course Xabi Alonso, who is currently doing an outstanding job at Leverkusen and enjoys legendary status at Anfield Road. With so many issues surrounding the Reds right now, it’s not so easy to stay focused on what’s important. However, that is exactly what will be needed to secure the next three points in the Premier League against Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night (11.15 PM EAT).Klopp tells you not to worry: “Give us a break”The 2021 Champions League winner is a very capable opponent to say the least, who has yet to live up to his own expectations this season and is currently worried about joining the international ranks. On paper, LFC are clearly the favourites.Jurgen Klopp appeared 317 times near the touchline as the coach of the Liverpool football club in the championship. In 199 cases the opposing team had to congratulate him on three points won. As only the seventh manager in England’s elite, the former Borussia Dortmund skipper could reach the milestone of 200 wins on Wednesday night. Only a certain Pep Guardiola needed fewer games to achieve this number of victories – 269. Klopp will forever be closely associated with the very successful era of the Reds.Two months of ‘hell’ have passed – Erling, start your engines!The German coach is the desire of most of his compatriots, who would like to see him as the successor of Julian Nagelsmann in the national team, and there is currently too much talk about his imminent departure. Liverpool, meanwhile, are in a good position to win the trophy in four competitions. In fact, the Reds have a great chance of giving Klopp a memorable end to his nine-year tenure. LFC are looking to take the next step towards a second national title after 2020.The Scousers have not lost a single match in the past 10 games in all competitions, with seven wins and three draws. In the league, they experienced only one defeat during the entire season, at the end of September against Tottenham when it was 1-2 on the scoreboard. The Anfield outfit also recently made it three Premier League wins in a row, scoring four goals each in 4-2 triumphs against Newcastle and 4-0 Bournemouth. An FA Cup hurdle in the form of Norwich, with Klopp’s best man David Wagner as manager, was also easily cleared 5-2 at the weekend.Youngsters such as James McConnell, Connor Bradley and Jarell Quansah also appeared in the lineup. Klopp especially singled out the right back from Northern Ireland, because Bradley, in addition to his defensive duties, also had an offensive input in the form of two assists. With many key players missing combined with the fight on all four fronts, squad width is very important and academy players are sure to get more opportunities by the end of the season.##EDITORS_CHOICE##After 21 rounds played, Liverpool are at the top of the league table, but several competitors are breathing down their necks. The Reds must pay particular attention to Manchester City, who are five points behind the Reds but have a game in hand. Arsenal came two steps closer, but they have a game less under their belt.The ongoing Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup will also affect Wednesday’s match. The home team will miss the Japanese midfielder Endo, and due to injuries, the key winger Mohamed Salah, then Matip, Tsimikas, Bajčetić and Thiago will not be available.On the contrary, Chelsea are in a completely different state of mind. The euphoria after the arrival of coach Mauricio Pochettino was replaced by disappointment after a difficult clash with reality, as the Blues struggled for a long time and fell into the second half of the league table. At the moment, however, it looks like Chelsea have started to better their form. The London team reached the final of the League Cup with a 6-1 victory in the second leg against Middlesbrough, where they will fight for the cup against Liverpool at Wembley at the end of February.Across the last 15 years in all competitions, Chelsea have beaten the Liverpool more times at Anfield (6) than at Stamford Bridge (5) pic.twitter.com/BiIilIzrhr— Solomon Adusei Peprah (@Curtis_peprah) January 31, 2024 In the Premier League, the Blues have won three in a row. For the first time since the Thomas Tuchel era, Chelsea are in a position to make it four consecutive league wins. However, this endeavor is likely to prove much more complicated than previous tasks.This is, among other things, connected with interesting statistics. In fact, Chelsea is the team that has defeated the Reds most often – 18 times – in the Premier League. However, in their last four clashes with LFC, the Blues have come away empty-handed – one draw, three defeats. The London team hasn’t lost at Anfield for three and a half years.The last 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 games between Liverpool & Chelsea have been drawn 🔴🤝🔵 pic.twitter.com/Uf1Ljko00p— LiveScore (@livescore) January 31, 2024 However, the likelihood of this impressive streak continuing on Wednesday is not high. Chelsea have only won in four of their 10 away games in the league this season. With the exception of the 4-1 victory over Tottenham, Pochettino’s men lost visits to Newcastle 1-4, Manchester United 1-2 and West Ham 1-3.Last week, the Blues played a not very attractive game with Aston Villa in the round of 16 of the FA Cup, which ended in a goalless draw. Serbian goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović is showing massive potential, currently irreplaceable in goal for the team from Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea can be satisfied with the final result. Had it not been for his several important interventions, Chelsea would surely have been eliminated from the oldest football competition in the world. But this way he still has a chance to improve their performance in the replay.Coach Pochettino will be without striker Jackson, whose Senegal was recently eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations, due to national team commitments. Colvill, Cucurella, Fofana, James, Lavia and goalkeeper Sanchez will not be there either.Jesus and Saka find way out of Forest for unconvincing GunnersPREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 22TuesdayNott. Forest – Arsenal 1-2 (0-0)/Awoniyi 89 – Jesus , Saka /Fulham – Everton 0-0Luton – Brighton 4-0 (3-0)/Adebayo 1, 42, 56, Ogbene 3/Crystal Palace – Sheffield Utd 3-2 (2-2)/Eze 17, 27, Olise 67 – Diaz 1, McAtee 20/Aston Villa – Newcastle 1-3 (0-2)/Watkins 71 – Schar 32, 36, Moreno 52 og/Wednesday22:30 (1.70) Tottenham (3.90) Brentford (4.90)22:30 (1.10) Manchester City (11.0) Burnley (18.0)23:15 (1.63) Liverpool (4.20) Chelsea (5.70)Thursday22:30 (2.50) West Ham (3.50) Bournemouth (2.95)23:15 (2.85) Wolverhampton (3.50) Manchester United (2.55)***odds are subject to change
