Weak team and Mourinho record means Anfield angst for Chelsea

There are precious few football grounds in the world where Jose Mourinho has a poorer record than Anfield. ‘The Special One’ has won on the Red half of Merseyside just twice in seven Premier League and Champions League attempts.

All of those efforts came in his first spell as Chelsea boss, and Coral are pretty bold when pricing Mourinho to enhance that record to three victories in eight.

A 4/1 price says the Blues will check the Premier League leaders’ momentum by beating them, while Liverpool are odds-on to make it a dozen successive wins at 8/11. A draw is 14/5.

If punters enjoy subplots, then there are plenty to go at here. Master Mourinho versus apprentice Brendan Rodgers and threats from the former to field a weakened team, because of his pathological desire to bring the Champions League trophy back to Stamford Bridge, are just for starters.

Put simply, this encounter will have a massive say in who wins the Premier League title. As they presently enjoy a five-point lead at the top, the Reds are naturally odds-on 1/6 favourites. Chelsea, meanwhile, bring up the rear at 25/1, with Manchester City at 5/1.

Maybe Mourinho’s mind games earlier this year when the Blues went to the Etihad were prophetic. In this three-way dance, Chelsea do look like ‘a little horse’ now, unless there is a shock final burst which starts here.

Brazilian stallion Ramires cannot help the Blues here, however. The versatile midfielder must serve a four-match ban, after the FA took retrospective action over an off-the-ball incident with Sunderland counterpart Sebastian Larsson in the last league outing.

Petr Cech and skipper John Terry are missing from the back five for Chelsea’s run-in too, so Mourinho told the truth when he alluded to fielding a weakened team – more, and quite literally, by accident than a ‘Special One’ design.

Liverpool will not be at full strength either. Jordan Henderson is suspended, while perennial substitute Victor Moses cannot play against his parent team. Daniel Sturridge also faces a fitness test to see whether he can turn out against his former club.