Liverpool host Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final

Steven Gerrard will certainly be fired up for this match

Liverpool prepare to face Jose Mourinho's Chelsea at Anfield on Tuesday evening as the Reds look to get the better of the Blues in the first leg of this very important League Cup semi-final. With Liverpool's season not exactly going to plan, the chance of silverware is a very attractive prospect for the Anfield faithful who will feel it is their best chance of glory this season.

Injuries for Liverpool mean they are unable to call upon Glen Johnson and Joe Allen with the game almost certainly being too early for striker Daniel Sturridge also. Mario Balotelli should return to the side after missing out on the Villa game due to illness.

Chelsea have a very strong team available to them with just a doubt hanging over Cesar Azpilicueta. Didier Drogba who has also been out with illness should be available once again for manager Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea made it through to the semi-final after beating Derby 3-1. Goals from Eden Hazard, Filipe Luis and Andre Schurrle sealed the deal and it was a confident win for Chelsea who will prove to be a formidable opposition for Liverpool.

The Reds reached the semi-final with the same scoreline after putting three past Bournemouth. A brace from Sterling and a Markovic goal was enough to see the Reds through on that evening.

The last time the two sides met was in November last year. Goals from Gary Cahill and Diego Costa gave Chelsea the victory at Anfield despite an early goal from Emre Can for the Reds.

It's always a tasty tie whenever Liverpool and Chelsea meet and over the years the rivalry has bubbled to boiling point. I for one can't quite contain my excitement for these two matches and I really hope the Reds can somehow find a way through.

I'd feel a lot more confident if it was the second leg at Anfield to be honest, however with two throws of the dice your confidence rises no matter who it is you are facing. With so much pressure placed on the game too you just never know what's going to happen.

I did ask you for your thoughts on the game but, unfortunately my embed feature is on the blink on Tweetdeck so please be sure to tweet in again for the match report when hopefully it'll fix itself!

If I get chance to pop a couple of bets on the game after work I'm probably going to have a quid on Skrtel anytime and a quid on 2-1 (being extremely optimistic here). I have no idea what team Brendan is going to field either but, yes, you've guessed it, I want Mario Balotelli to start! Or at least bloody feature.Enjoy the match folks, wherever you are watching!