FA Cup fifth round: Chelsea v Liverpool betting preview, free tips & TV details

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Chelsea v Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round.

Where to watch

BBC1, 7.45pm Tuesday

Best bet

Liverpool to qualify
1pt 21-20 Betfair, Paddy Power
Back this tip with Paddy Power

Team news

Chelsea
Tammy Abraham (ankle), N'Golo Kante (muscle strain) and Christian Pulisic (adductor) are ruled out. Andreas Christensen is unlikely to feature and Callum Hudson-Odoi (hamstring) is a doubt.

Liverpool
Joe Gomez (knock) and James Milner (muscle strain) are available but Jordan Henderson, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita remain sidelined and Harvey Elliott is also ruled out.

Match preview

Liverpool have not become a bad team overnight and they can show the mentality of European and world champions by responding to Saturday's shock 3-0 loss at Watford by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round.

Jurgen Klopp is likely to make a few changes but it would be a surprise if he didn't go with a stronger side than the one he selected for their fourth-round tie at Shrewsbury which finished in a 2-2 draw.

The Reds have a busy schedule coming up with home games against Bournemouth and Atletico Madrid to consider but they will be keen to draw a line under their poor performance at Vicarage Road.

The best teams usually show their worth after a setback and Liverpool will not want the loss to Watford to be anything more than a one-off.

Klopp has tried to put a positive spin on the end of their Premier League winning streak, suggesting it will allow his team to play with more freedom because they no longer have an unbeaten run to protect.

However, it is the uglier side of the game that Liverpool need to address, having been outfought and outworked by the Hornets.

Jordan Henderson's absence is hurting them in midfield but it cannot be used as a sole reason for such a dramatic drop-off in performance.

Liverpool are capable of playing much better without their captain and they are likely to show it against Chelsea, who look vulnerable odds-on favourites to reach the quarter-finals.

The Blues have remained in the top four since October and still have a three-point cushion to fifth-placed Manchester United.

But their prominence in the battle for Champions League qualification is more to do with the weakness of their rivals than their own strengths.

Frank Lampard's side have been inconsistent for several months, taking just 19 points from 16 Premier League games since the November international break.

The Blues have shipped 39 league goals - no other top-half side have conceded more - and have not kept a clean sheet in their last eight matches.

Earlier in the season Chelsea were able to paper over the defensive cracks by scoring lots of goals.

But their attacking options have been dramatically reduced with Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi suffering injuries.

They were outclassed in a 3-0 loss at home to Bayern Munich last Tuesday, so the FA Cup offers their last realistic hope of challenging for silverware.

When the fifth-round draw was made and Liverpool were signalling their intention to send out the kids for their fourth-round replay at home to Shrewsbury, Chelsea must have been quietly satisfied.

But Liverpool's youngsters did just enough to tee up a visit to London and a much more senior side can ensure further progress in the competition.