Chelsea will begin life without Graham Potter when they welcome fellow Premier League strugglers Liverpool to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.
Potter was sacked following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, with the Blues sitting 11th in the table – four points behind eighth-placed Liverpool.
Can Chelsea spark a revival in front of their fans? Or will Jurgen Klopp’s men heap more misery on the Londoners? It’s time to take a closer look at both sides.
Let’s start with the hosts, Chelsea, who parted company with Potter after six months, as the former Brighton boss won just 12 of his 31 matches in charge.
The Blues have only managed to win two of their last nine Premier League games, recording four draws and three losses in the process.
With four victories coming in their previous 19 league outings, Chelsea’s hierarchy had little choice but to relieve Potter of his duties and attempt to finish the campaign on a high note.
Only seven teams have scored fewer goals than Chelsea this season, so it is easy to understand why they find themselves 12 points outside the top four.
That said, Liverpool have not been much better than Chelsea, as the Reds have lost nine of their 27 Premier League clashes this term.
Klopp’s men were thrashed 4-1 by Manchester City on Saturday, with the visitors racking up 31% possession and a solitary shot on target at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool have now lost each of their last three games across all competitions, with six defeats coming in their previous 11 encounters.
Granted, the Merseysiders crushed Manchester United 7-0 last month, but they have lost to Bournemouth, Real Madrid and Man City since then, scoring just once in that time.
Head-to-head: Across all competitions, each of the past five meetings between Chelsea and Liverpool have ended in a draw, with four of those games producing under 2.5 goals.
Both sides have won two of the previous nine meetings, with only two of those nine clashes dishing up over 2.5 goals.
Team news: Armando Broja, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva remain sidelined for Chelsea, while Raheem Sterling and Wesley Fofana are doubts for Tuesday.
As for Liverpool, they will be without the injured quartet of Naby Keita, Luis Diaz, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajetic for the trip to the capital.
With both clubs languishing in mid-table obscurity, Tuesday’s clash looks destined to be a close-fought battle between two underperforming teams.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea and Liverpool will play out a sixth successive draw, with both sides scoring under 1.5 goals.