Liverpool v Chelsea
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL FIRST LEG
Date: Tue 22 April Kick-off: 1945 BST Venue: Anfield
Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and on BBC Sport website (UK only), full text coverage on BBC Sport website and mobiles, live on ITV1
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard could be available despite sitting out Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham with a neck injury.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez said he will consult with the club doctor before making a decision on the player.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard will be available.
Lampard has missed two games while on compassionate leave because his mother is in hospital with pneumonia, but the player's agent says Lampard can play.
BIG MATCH STATS
Overall head-to-heads
Liverpool and Chelsea have had 150 major competitive meetings; Liverpool lead by 58 wins to 44, with 28 draws.
They have met 18 times since the start of the 2004-05 season, when Rafael Benitez took over as Liverpool manager. The Reds have won five, drawn five and lost eight.
This season, they drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Anfield; Fernando Torres gave the Merseysiders a half-time lead, but Frank Lampard equalised from the penalty spot.
Then, under Avram Grant, the Blues won the Carling Cup quarter-final 2-0 at Stamford Bridge with goals from Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko. The league fixture on 19 February in West London was a goalless draw.
European head-to-heads
This is the fourth successive season in which Liverpool and Chelsea have met in the Champions League. There have been only three goals in the six previous fixtures, with Liverpool winning 1-0 on two occasions and Chelsea by the same score once.
This is also the third Champions League semi-final between the two teams. Liverpool have progressed to the final from each of the previous two.
Liverpool have played an English club at Anfield on seven previous occasions, losing just once (to Leeds in the 1970-71 Fairs Cup semi-final); Chelsea have won two of their five European away matches against English opposition - both defeats came at Anfield. Liverpool is the only English club to have knocked Chelsea out of Europe, and they have done it twice.
European history
Liverpool have won the Champions Cup/Champions League five times (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005) and the Uefa Cup three times (1973, 1976 and 2001). The Reds were Champions League runners-up last season, after losing the final 2-1 against AC Milan. They also lost 1-0 to Juventus in the 1985 European Cup final, in tragic circumstances at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
This match is Liverpool's 15th European semi-final and they have progressed to the final on 11 of the previous 14 occasions. It is the ninth time they've made the last four of the Champions Cup/Champions League. They have progressed from seven of the previous eight, losing only the first one, to Inter Milan, in 1964-65.
Chelsea's biggest successes in European competition are their two Cup Winners' Cup victories. They won the trophy in 1971 and 1998. They also won the European Super Cup in 1998.
In the Champions League, the Londoners have now reached the semi-finals four times, in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. They've been eliminated at that stage on all three previous occasions, and from six of their eight European semis.
Current European form
Liverpool are undefeated in seven matches in the Champions League, since a 2-1 reverse to Besiktas in Turkey on 24 October 2007. The Reds have won their last four Champions League home matches, and have not been defeated at Anfield in this competition since 3 October 2007, when Olympique Marseille won 0-1.
Chelsea's only defeat in 10 Champions League outings since their loss to Liverpool in last season's semi-finals, was 2-1 in the opening leg of the quarter-final, away to Fenerbahce on 2 April.
Player and disciplinary info
Chelsea's Michael Essien is suspended for this match; Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fabio Aurelio will be suspended for the second leg if shown a yellow card.
Fernando Torres has scored in each of Liverpool's last seven home matches in all competitions.
Jose Reina and Carragher have started and completed all of Liverpool's CL matches this season. Gerrard and Sami Hyypia have also played in all 10 of Liverpool's CL matches this season.
Claude Makelele has reached a Champions League semi-final for the eighth time in his career. He was already in possession of the record for the competition and is the only player to reach more than six Champions League semis.
Joe Cole, Makelele and Essien have played in all 10 of Chelsea's CL matches this season.
If selected, John Obi Mikel will be playing on his 21st birthday, and Nicolas Anelka will be facing one of his former clubs.
Other miscellaneous facts
These clubs are separated by two places and nine points in the Premier League table after victories in their last matches.
Liverpool won 0-2 at Fulham on Saturday, and are now eight points ahead of Everton with three to play, and virtually assured of a fourth placed finish and a guaranteed place in the qualifiers for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea won 0-1 at Everton on Thursday night, and are on 78 points, three points behind leaders Manchester United.
Definitions of terms used:-
Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.
Big Match Stats source: Infostrada Sports and Peter Robinson
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL FIRST LEG
Date: Tue 22 April Kick-off: 1945 BST Venue: Anfield
Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and on BBC Sport website (UK only), full text coverage on BBC Sport website and mobiles, live on ITV1
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard could be available despite sitting out Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham with a neck injury.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez said he will consult with the club doctor before making a decision on the player.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard will be available.
Lampard has missed two games while on compassionate leave because his mother is in hospital with pneumonia, but the player's agent says Lampard can play.
BIG MATCH STATS
Overall head-to-heads
Liverpool and Chelsea have had 150 major competitive meetings; Liverpool lead by 58 wins to 44, with 28 draws.
They have met 18 times since the start of the 2004-05 season, when Rafael Benitez took over as Liverpool manager. The Reds have won five, drawn five and lost eight.
This season, they drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Anfield; Fernando Torres gave the Merseysiders a half-time lead, but Frank Lampard equalised from the penalty spot.
Then, under Avram Grant, the Blues won the Carling Cup quarter-final 2-0 at Stamford Bridge with goals from Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko. The league fixture on 19 February in West London was a goalless draw.
European head-to-heads
This is the fourth successive season in which Liverpool and Chelsea have met in the Champions League. There have been only three goals in the six previous fixtures, with Liverpool winning 1-0 on two occasions and Chelsea by the same score once.
This is also the third Champions League semi-final between the two teams. Liverpool have progressed to the final from each of the previous two.
Liverpool have played an English club at Anfield on seven previous occasions, losing just once (to Leeds in the 1970-71 Fairs Cup semi-final); Chelsea have won two of their five European away matches against English opposition - both defeats came at Anfield. Liverpool is the only English club to have knocked Chelsea out of Europe, and they have done it twice.
European history
Liverpool have won the Champions Cup/Champions League five times (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005) and the Uefa Cup three times (1973, 1976 and 2001). The Reds were Champions League runners-up last season, after losing the final 2-1 against AC Milan. They also lost 1-0 to Juventus in the 1985 European Cup final, in tragic circumstances at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
This match is Liverpool's 15th European semi-final and they have progressed to the final on 11 of the previous 14 occasions. It is the ninth time they've made the last four of the Champions Cup/Champions League. They have progressed from seven of the previous eight, losing only the first one, to Inter Milan, in 1964-65.
Chelsea's biggest successes in European competition are their two Cup Winners' Cup victories. They won the trophy in 1971 and 1998. They also won the European Super Cup in 1998.
In the Champions League, the Londoners have now reached the semi-finals four times, in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. They've been eliminated at that stage on all three previous occasions, and from six of their eight European semis.
Current European form
Liverpool are undefeated in seven matches in the Champions League, since a 2-1 reverse to Besiktas in Turkey on 24 October 2007. The Reds have won their last four Champions League home matches, and have not been defeated at Anfield in this competition since 3 October 2007, when Olympique Marseille won 0-1.
Chelsea's only defeat in 10 Champions League outings since their loss to Liverpool in last season's semi-finals, was 2-1 in the opening leg of the quarter-final, away to Fenerbahce on 2 April.
Player and disciplinary info
Chelsea's Michael Essien is suspended for this match; Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fabio Aurelio will be suspended for the second leg if shown a yellow card.
Fernando Torres has scored in each of Liverpool's last seven home matches in all competitions.
Jose Reina and Carragher have started and completed all of Liverpool's CL matches this season. Gerrard and Sami Hyypia have also played in all 10 of Liverpool's CL matches this season.
Claude Makelele has reached a Champions League semi-final for the eighth time in his career. He was already in possession of the record for the competition and is the only player to reach more than six Champions League semis.
Joe Cole, Makelele and Essien have played in all 10 of Chelsea's CL matches this season.
If selected, John Obi Mikel will be playing on his 21st birthday, and Nicolas Anelka will be facing one of his former clubs.
Other miscellaneous facts
These clubs are separated by two places and nine points in the Premier League table after victories in their last matches.
Liverpool won 0-2 at Fulham on Saturday, and are now eight points ahead of Everton with three to play, and virtually assured of a fourth placed finish and a guaranteed place in the qualifiers for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea won 0-1 at Everton on Thursday night, and are on 78 points, three points behind leaders Manchester United.
Definitions of terms used:-
Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.
Big Match Stats source: Infostrada Sports and Peter Robinson
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