Liverpool vs Chelsea: Champions League latest tips

Liverpool take on Chelsea on Tuesday in the first of this week's Champions League semi-final first legs (live ITV1 7.45pm) looking to knock the Blues out of this stage of the competition for the third time in four years. Click here for a free £200 to bet on Liverpool vs Chelsea with Canbet Chelsea may have beaten Liverpool 2-0 in the League Cup back in December but the Reds have built up an extraordinary head of steam over recent weeks. In 14 matches Rafa Benitez's side have won eleven, drawn two and lost just once - to Manchester United - and their win over Arsenal in the Champions League last round is an indication as good as any that they will maintain their Indian sign over the Blues. Chelsea will without question prove a tougher nut to crack than Arsenal were, given their greater steel in both midfield and defence, but Avran Grant's men have looked shaky in recent Premier League matches against Wigan and Everton. The absence in those matches of midfielder Frank Lampard, who has been tending to his sick mother, and Didier Drogba, whose knee injury continues to plague him, have been keenly felt by Chelsea. Both players have been crucial to their side's success over recent seasons and Grant will be pleased to hear that Lampard will be back to face Liverpool. Lampard's England teammate and key Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is also available after a neck injury kept him out of his side's 2-0 Premier League win against Fulham at the weekend. Contests between these two sides have been close-fought, low-scoring affairs and the same can be expected on Tuesday given the importance of the Champions League to both managers. Benitez has already added fuel to the fire in the build-up by claiming that Chelsea play the same way under Grant that they did under Jose Mourinho and that the team is really run by owner Roman Abramovich. "As I've said before, the key to them was Abramovich. There's no difference between this Chelsea and last year's Chelsea, only in the press conferences," Benitez said on Monday. Liverpool do have the edge as Anfield is a daunting European arena, which holds painful recent memories for Chelsea's players. Furthermore, the irrepressible Fernando Torres has scored in his last seven home matches. With Lampard back, Chelsea may battle out a draw at an appealing 2.95 but the low-scoring home win looks the value proposition here as Liverpool take the first step towards their third Champions League final in four years. Verdict: 2pts HT/FT: Draw/Liverpool 5.2; 1pt Correct Score 1-0 @ 6/1; Fernando Torres first goalscorer @ 5/1 Click here for a free £200 to bet on Liverpool vs Chelsea with Canbet Canbet offers the best in Asian Handicap and Live "In-Play" betting. £200 Free when you join!