Chelsea vs. Liverpool: Odds, moneyline pick, TV channel, online stream, start time for Matchday 1

The 2023-24 EPL season is already underway as heavy hitters Chelsea and Liverpool will face off against each other Sunday to open their campaign. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. ET from Stamford Bridge as both teams look to get off to a solid start.

Chelsea v. Liverpool

Date: Sunday, August 13
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
TV channel: N/A
Livestream: Peacock

Moneyline odds

Chelsea: +185
Draw: +270
Liverpool: +140

Moneyline pick: Liverpool +140

The Reds are slightly favored to win, but I’m surprised it’s not more lopsided in their direction with the condition Mauricio Pochettino’s side is in. Chelsea lost an enormous amount of key players in the offseason including Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante. They had a rough season in 2022-23 with that roster, finishing 11th and missing out on European competition for the first time since 2016.

Chelsea brought in Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, and a handful of others in an attempt to rebuild. They had a decent preseason showing, winning three and drawing two of their five warmup matches. Liverpool also played well in preseason, scoring 18 goals through five matches, winning three and going toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich.

The Reds lost a few players this offseason, including Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and Roberto Firmino, who all left England to play in the Saudi Pro League. However, they brought in World Cup champion Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton who will help fill some holes in the midfield. They still have an absolutely stacked roster featuring Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Looking at these two teams on paper, I’m backing Liverpool to get the win to open the campaign. Chelsea’s squad is suffering especially with long-term injuries to Wesley Fofana and Nkunku.