Chelsea Vs Liverpool
It could be yet another heated encounter between the two sides. Picture - Reuters.

Chelsea face Liverpool for the second time in ten days, this time in the Carling Cup quarterfinal, at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Last time out, Glen Johnson's 87th minute goal proved to be the winner, as Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish continued his impressive record of never losing to Chelsea. Some would say it was a deserved win too, with Chelsea abysmal in the first half before Andre Villas-Boas' changes helped in an improved second-half performance.

Chelsea then went on to lose against Bayer Leverkusen, in the Champions League, heaping the pressure on Villas-Boas before his side managed a convincing 3-0 win during the weekend, albeit against a depleted Wolves side.

It is increasingly becoming impossible not to compare Villas-Boas with his former mentor and ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, whose his first major trophy at Chelsea came against Liverpool in the Carling Cup final. A similar feat could do wonders to the current Portuguese incumbent in the Blues hot-seat although a tough match awaits against Liverpool.

When the fixture was announced, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish burst out at the scheduling, as his side will have to make trips from Manchester to London in the space of a day. Dalglish even warned the fans not to spend their money as he would field a second-string side.

His comments seem remarkably touchy, seeing as his side aren't involved in Europe this season and doesn't need to mix it up as much as his opponents on Tuesday. Chelsea themselves are expected to rest their key players, and use the opportunity to blood their youngsters.

During their league encounter, last week, Dalglish organized his side perfectly, using the wealth of pace up front to trouble an uncertain Chelsea defence. Given they faced each other so recently, it'll be interesting to note what changes either side will make tactically.

It makes for an interesting viewing, and should be a cracker!

Team News

Chelsea will be without skipper John Terry, who seemed to deliberately get carded against Wolves so as to get a clean slate for the upcoming Premiership encounter against Liverpool. Ex-Liverpool man Fernando Torres could get his first start in three games against his former side, but another ex-Liverpool man, Raul Meireles, is cup-tied.

The Merseyside club will welcome Craig Bellamy back into the team after he missed the match against Man City for personal reasons. Vice-captain Jamie Carragher is also expected to return to the starting line-up, while Andy Carroll will get a chance to impress.

Match Fact

This will be the 30th meeting between the two sides since 2004, with Chelsea winning 12 to Liverpool's 10. Of those games, Chelsea won the last two League Cup games.

Prediction

Both sides will make changes to their side but expect Chelsea to scrape through.

Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

London