The young Blues were on the wrong end of a heavy defeat at the hands of Arsenal last time out so will be looking to find the right response in Premier League 2.

Tickets are still available to be purchased at the Kingsmeadow ticket office, priced at just £5 for adults and £3 for concessions. Please note, payment at the ticket office is card only.

Alternatively, you can watch the game live and for free on the official Chelsea website or the 5th Stand app. Kick-off is 7pm.

The form

Following a number of summer departures from the squad, it has been a tricky start to 2021/22 for Andy Myers’s side, with many players acclimatising to the step up for the first time.

Six of the starters against Arsenal last time out are still eligible to play in the FA Youth Cup this season, while a further three are in the age group above, making this a relatively young and inexperienced group battling away in a league that has an age cap of under-23.

Nevertheless, Myers will be demanding more from his side following a run of two draws and three defeats to start the league campaign. He will point to a strong performance away at the senior side of Exeter City in the EFL Trophy as evidence of what is required.

The Blues dominated that game at St James Park and, despite conceding a stoppage-time equaliser, recovered to take the bonus point on offer from the penalty shootout.

Bryan Fiabama was the goalscorer in normal time and the Norwegian is one of three forwards to have found the net for our development squad so far this term, alongside Harvey Vale with four goals and Jayden Wareham with one.

2021/22 results:

Tottenham (a) – PL2 – drew 2-2Man United (h) – PL2 – drew 1-1Exeter City (a) – EFL Trophy – drew 1-1, won 4-3 on pensWest Ham (a) – PL2 – lost 2-1Man City (a) – PL2 – lost 4-1Arsenal (h) – PL2 – lost 6-1

Previous meeting

Kingsmeadow was also the host for this fixture last season when the two teams played out a five-goal thriller in mid-February. Thierno Ballo and Tino Livramento struck for the hosts but Liverpool came out on top with three goals in 18 minutes either side of the half-time interval.

The Reds also won the reverse fixture on Merseyside last October, meaning they are currently three games unbeaten against us. The most recent Chelsea victory was in the early weeks of the 2019/20 season as Michy Batshuayi and Tino Anjorin fired us to a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

The opposition

Liverpool finished five places and seven points behind Myers’s men last term, though currently sit four positions above us in the early 2021/22 PL2 standings.

Their only victory so far came in the Merseyside derby last month as they beat Everton 3-1, with recent senior debutant Kaide Gordon among the goals.

2021/22 results:

Man City (h) – PL2 – drew 0-0Everton (a) – PL2 – won 3-1Brighton (h) – PL2 – drew 1-1Rochdale (a) – EFL Trophy – lost 4-0Tottenham (a) – PL2 – lost 2-1Leeds (h) – PL2 – lost 4-0

How to watch

Get yourself down to Kingsmeadow, where tickets are still available from the ticket office at just £5 for adults and £3 for concessions (under-20s and over-65s). Please note, payment at the ticket office is card only.

Supporters attending will be required to provide evidence they are at low risk of transmitting Covid-19, through either a full vaccination (with both doses received at least 14 days prior to the match) or a negative Lateral Flow Test (from age 11 and over) carried out within 48 hours of kick-off.

All those attending will be required to wear masks in all indoor areas of the stadium, except when they are eating or drinking. Masks are not required when seated or walking outside the stadium.

There will also be a live stream of the action from 6.50pm on the official Chelsea website and the 5th Stand app, as well as live text commentary.