Carling Cup / Michael Lintorn / 28 November 2011 /

Michael Lintorn expects Andre Villas-Boas to claim perhaps his most noteworthy win yet as Chelsea boss against tired rivals Liverpool...

While the speculation about Andre Villas-Boas' future appears a tad harsh, Chelsea managers know the deal when they sign up, and with their Premier League and Champions League form suffering, he can ill afford to wave goodbye to the Carling Cup.

A 3-0 stroll past Wolves on Saturday ended an uncomfortable and unusual sequence in which the Blues recorded only one 90-minute win in seven matches, and they are [1.9] to build on that much-needed boost with victory over Liverpool.

Their main problem under Villas-Boas hasn't been beating the likes of Wolves though but carrying that momentum into the big games, and having lost to Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool and failed to win a European away tie, it is arguable that they are yet to triumph in such a fixture.

This therefore has to be considered a huge opportunity to turn that around and rebuild belief that they can deliver when the pressure is on.

Liverpool [[4.8]] have excelled at the art of game-raising since Kenny Dalglish's return, going eight unbeaten against England's Champions League quartet, the latest addition to that run coming on Sunday when they outplayed Manchester City in a 1-1 draw.

The fact that encounter took place just two days prior to this quarter-final trip to west London could prove pivotal however, as it makes it difficult for Dalglish to stick with his fatigued strongest side. He has already warned travelling fans to expect changes.

Liverpool have won on three of their last five visits to Stamford Bridge, the latest success coming a mere nine days ago, but have lost their last four domestic cup clashes with "big six" rivals, and were eliminated on the two other occasions in the last decade that they met Chelsea in the Carling Cup.

Over/under 2.5 goals

The recent collision between the pair was the first in five to breach the other 2.5 goal mark, and even then it only exceeded the mark due to a piece of magic from Glen Johnson in the 87th minute.

Judging by the nervy nature of Chelsea's first two outings in this season's Carling Cup, a stalemate with Fulham and 1-1 draw at Everton from which they prevailed on penalties and in extra time respectively, a return to form looks likely at [1.89].

Chelsea win to nil

Liverpool have tasted defeat just four times in the last seven months, yet every time that they were toppled, they went down with a bit of a whimper, failing to find the net.

Chelsea's last two victories, and six of their last eight against the Reds, were earned by keeping clean sheets, so if you fancy them to see off their exhausted visitors, that is in all probability going to be the way that they do it at [2.3].

Best Bet: Chelsea to win @ [1.9]
Other Recommended Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ [1.89]

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