Chelsea v Liverpool: Key stats and talking points

Chelsea, who have lost back-to-back league fixtures, take on a Liverpool side beaten in their past two matches. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's game.

This match pits the Club World Cup winners against the reigning Premier League champions but neither side are exactly at their best right now.

Defeats by Manchester United and Brighton have left Chelsea at risk of losing three top-flight games in a row for the first time since May 2023.

The Blues did at least get back to winning ways in midweek, defeating Benfica 1-0 on Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge. However, the Londoners had Joao Pedro sent off in the closing stages, their third red card in the space of four games.

While it was not as costly as Robert Sanchez's dismissal at Old Trafford or Trevoh Chalobah's versus Brighton, it has led to increased scrutiny of Chelsea's poor disciplinary record under Enzo Maresca. They have received 118 cards in the Premier League since the start of last season, more than any other club going into the latest round of matches.

Could Reds lose three in a row for first time under Slot?

Liverpool's run of seven successive wins came to a juddering halt in the past week, with the Reds beaten at Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, and now in danger of losing three games in a row for the first time under Arne Slot.

The Dutchman has pinpointed small margins as the difference but insists his side "are not so far" away from the levels they showed last season.

One area where there is clear room for improvement is when it comes to defending set-pieces, with four of the seven Premier League goals they have conceded coming in this fashion.

At this stage 12 months ago, the Merseysiders had conceded just two top-flight goals, neither of which was from a set-piece. They also earned four clean sheets in their first six matches, twice as many as in the current campaign.

Despite changes to personnel leaving Liverpool with a slightly more attacking line-up, they haven't faced more shots or shots on target in the current campaign – those numbers are largely similar. But they are conceding far more high-quality chances, with the expected goals total by their opponents 2.4 greater than at the same stage last year.

As a result, there has been a dramatic drop in the Reds' save percentage, which has fallen from almost 90% to 56%. First-choice goalkeeper Alisson will miss the trip to Stamford Bridge through injury so a testing Premier League debut awaits for Giorgi Mamardashvili, who will need to be given better protection, particularly from set-pieces.