This first game is a big one for two sides with aspirations at the top end of the table.

But there's an equally big one near the bottom a bit later, between two sides trying to claw their way away from the bottom...

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Jurgen Klopp will join the 1,000 club today when he manages Liverpool against Chelsea, taking his managerial career into four figures of matches.

Over 23 seasons at three clubs in two countries, he has won three league titles and a Champions League trophy.

We've also had a deeper dive into some of the other numbers underpinning his managerial career.

You can read that here.

BT Sport

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp speaking to BT Sport:

On his 1,000 game: "That time [when he started as Mainz manager] I didn't know if I would have a second game to be honest! It's a big number, I look like I have 1,000 games but I have done it in 22 years and it was pretty quick so here we are."

On whether he still has the motivation: "My motivation is no problem. I have enough energy for another 10 years if you want. I know where we are going from. Pep said earlier in the about being happy flower team and we knew it."

"We had a super intense season, won two cups but were not champions because we didn't win the league. It looks like we are lacking energy I know and it is not cool. We were lacking energy and hunger but it was not on purpose. We need to find consistency. We need to find a good season again and hopefully today we can take another step.

"Trent [Alexander-Arnold] came back yesterday. Darwin [Nunez] had a few days back. Usually we are not compact enough and that make life very difficult for the midfielders. [Naby] Keita and Thiago did well in the midfield. When you are connected you can play well and win balls. In the last few games we win balls and then give it away.

"Football is not complicated but to bring 11 players together and let them do the same thing when they are not confident is not easy. The win against Wolves was super important.

On Stefan Bajcetic making his first Premier League start: "I like everything that I saw from him against Wolves on Tuesday. He deserved that start. He is a smart kid, a really good player. He played outstanding. It was clear that if we could, we would start with this midfield again."

"If you're Conor Gallagher, it's a really difficult decision - do you have to reluctantly accept that you are never quite going to be the main man at Chelsea?" said the Daily Telegraph's Luke Edwards on the latest episode of Transfer Gossip Daily.

"I think we're at a stage now where he has to have serious conversations with the people around him and at Chelsea, including manager Graham Potter, to find where he fits in.

"I think he's on the brink of having to accept that it's time to leave Chelsea. I know Potter likes him and he's been playing, but is that enough?

"I think for him to really blossom as a footballer, he needs to go somewhere where he's the main man. It might be Palace, it might be Newcastle - I think a move to Newcastle would be perfect for him and I know Newcastle are very interested, now it emerges Palace are.

"It just shows there are a lot of clubs who want to play him and give him a far more prominent position in the forward planning of their club than Chelsea are doing.

"I expect there will be at least five or six teams in the Premier League who will be interested in signing Conor Gallagher - if he decides he wants to leave Chelsea."

Listen to the latest episode of Transfer Gossip Daily on BBC Sounds

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The latest episode of The Far Post podcast has been discussing Conor Gallagher and the role he can play at Chelsea.

BBC Radio London's Phil Parry said: "If I was a Chelsea fan I would want somehow to have Conor Gallagher in the team every week.

"The reason being, you talk about someone who connects with the supporters, who gives it every effort that he possibly can. I think he’s a very good footballer and he may not be the greatest technician, but I think he has drive, he has energy and he has verve.

"Even in great, great teams, every great team needs workers as well and he is a real worker. I was impressed with him again [against Palace]."

Despite being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in January, former Premier League defender Steve Brown believes there is a place for Gallagher in Graham Potter's side.

He said: "A midfield can be loaded. It’s not a two-man midfield anymore and if it is it’s deep sitters and he can’t play that kind of role. He’s got to play higher up the pitch - energy, shutting down, if you want to press high up the pitch he is the perfect person to do that.

"You’ve got to make sure the balance in the rest of midfield suits Conor Gallagher’s game. There is definitely a place for him in that squad and Graham Potter is not afraid to do that, to play someone that is not your favourite."

Listen to The Far Post on BBC Sounds

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Anfield

Liverpool and Chelsea lie in alien territory as mid-table teams in this current Premier League season - and with lots of ground to make up to threaten the top four places.

They are both 10 points away from that precious area of the league and Chelsea appear to be addressing the problem by throwing money at it while Liverpool move more cautiously.

It may be a game being stage in a different context from the usual title race but the stakes are always high when these two meet and reaching the top four is crucial to their future plans.

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Ross Mooring, Chelsea Fancast, external

Has there ever been a better mid-season signing than Gary Cahill from Bolton to Chelsea in 2012?

Joining for just £7m, the always underrated centre-back claimed Champions League and FA Cup glory before the season was out, then followed that up with two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues, a League Cup and another FA Cup.

All in all, Cahill made 290 appearances for the Blues. He also contributed an impressive 25 goals, including a memorable volley at Tottenham, and was a stalwart under five different managers at Stamford Bridge. As the song went: "He won it all."

Going in the other direction...

Two years later, a certain Kevin de Bruyne joined Wolfsburg after just nine first-team appearances for Chelsea. Not to worry, though, we made a £10m profit on the Belgian!

And the manager responsible for jettisoning him, Jose Mourinho, also let another attacker by the name of Mohamed Salah leave in the following winter transfer window. Ouch.

Who did our other Premier League club supporters pick? Read the full piece here

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Jude Bellingham would be a great fit at Liverpool, but he might not want to go there given the club's current league position, argues Newcastle striker Callum Wilson.

During the World Cup, the teenage England midfielder was heavily linked with a switch to the Reds, based on Jurgen Klopp's need in midfield and Bellingham's seemingly close connection with captain Jordan Henderson.

However, Wilson told the Footballer's Football podcast that the Borussia Dortmund player will have the pick of Europe's clubs and may look elsewhere.

"He needs to be on the biggest stage," said Wilson. "If Liverpool are not in the Champions League, he may look elsewhere.

"He could go to Manchester City, but then does he want the uncertainty of starting one week then spending three on the bench because the best manager in the world decides to change it?

"Whatever happens, he's got everything."

Wilson and co-host Michail Antonio also scoffed at a fan's suggestion that Liverpool's erratic form should cost Klopp his job.

"That's ludicrous," said Antonio. "So many managers at Liverpool haven't done it, he has. Getting rid of him would be stupidity!"

"It's a pointless conversation," agreed Wilson. "Klopp is Liverpool - they should be getting him a statue."

More insider football chat here on BBC Sounds

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Harriet Prior, The Anfield Wrap, external

Luis Suarez, Luis Diaz and now Cody Gakpo are all part of the impressive list of Liverpool's January signings, but Virgil van Dijk goes straight to the top.

Many questioned the world record transfer fee paid for the defender, but the immediate impact he made scoring the winner in a Merseyside derby quickly silenced any critics.

A Premier League title and Champions League glory prove he is worthy of a place in the history books.

Now to the worst... and it's a journey from all-time greats to those who never got the chance to make an impact.

The panic signing of Ben Davies in the face of an injury crisis has to be seen as a low point.

He never played for the club, proving that reactive rather than proactive signings rarely work.

Who did our other Premier League club supporters pick? Read the full piece here

More than half of the world's richest clubs by revenue are from the Premier League, according to analysis by Deloitte.

Eleven Premier League clubs make up the top 20 in their Money League study from the 2021-22 season.

It is the first time in the study's 26 years that more than half of the clubs are from the same league.

Champions Manchester City retained top spot, making 731m euros (£619.1m), ahead of Real Madrid (713.8m euros).

Liverpool rise to third from seventh, while Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal also make the top 10, with West Ham, Leicester, Leeds, Everton and Newcastle in the top 20.

The top 20 clubs made 9.2bn euros (£7.82bn), a 13% increase from 2020-21.

That increase is largely down to the return of fans to stadia for the first full season after Covid-19 restrictions, with matchday revenue rising from 111m euros to 1.4bn euros.

Journalist Luke Edwards says he can't see Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech all joining Newcastle United this month, but he does believes one or two of them could leave Stamford Bridge.

The Magpies are reportedly looking at the trio, who have slipped down Graham Potter's pecking order.

The Telegraph's Edwards told the Transfer Gossip Daily podcast: "It’s a really interesting one. Chelsea have spent just shy of £450m in two transfer windows. It’s too much.

"What this has created is a market for other clubs to look at the players who might be at risk of losing their place in the team because of the new players they have brought in.

"We all would have expected at the start of this window that Newcastle would have done a lot of business and would be splashing the cash, but they haven’t.

"These three players at Chelsea could all be surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, so obviously these clubs will circle around them. The one that intrigues me the most is Loftus-Cheek. He can play at right-back as well as central midfield, which are two positions Newcastle are trying to fill.

"They have been interested in Gallagher for the past two summers. Ziyech is a winger and if Ryan Fraser leaves then there is room in the squad.

"It shows Chelsea have got themselves into a little bit of a mess and other clubs will be looking to exploit that by taking some of their players.

"I think Newcastle would prefer loans with an option to buy.

"I can’t see all three of them going, but I can certainly see one or two going this window, and Newcastle are in a prime position."

Listen to Transfer Gossip Daily on BBC Sounds

The length of Mykhailo Mudryk's eight-and-a-half-year deal at Chelsea has raised eyebrows - and West Ham striker Michail Antonio says it is "a risk" for both parties.

Speaking on the Footballer's Football podcast he hosts with Newcastle forward Callum Wilson, Antonio says that, even for a 22-year-old, it is inordinately long.

"This will take him to the age of 30 and it's a risk for both club and player," he said. "If he doesn't do well, then they will have to pay him for eight and a half years. He can put his feet up!

"On the other side, let's say he does unbelievably well and Real Madrid or Barcelona come in for him. If someone else wants him, there's no way he's getting out of Chelsea if they refuse to let him go."

Wilson agreed, saying it is "a tricky one" to weigh up.

"I like to sign for smaller stages and see how things go," he said. "It's a key time in a player's career and you want to keep developing.

"It's a really long time to be dedicated to one club. Managers could change and he's almost getting a testimonial with that length.

"On the other hand, if he gets a serious injury, he's stable. It's a tricky one."

More analysis on Mudryk's deal from 17'11 on BBC Sounds

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Chelsea's latest signing is Mykhailo Mudryk - a player who at one stage look destined to join Arsenal until Chelsea owner Todd Boehly stepped in with his chequebook.

Chelsea have signed Mudryk in a deal worth up to £89m, a transfer record for Ukrainian football.

It was revealed in the aftermath of the deal that £22m of that would be going to the Ukrainian war effort, courtesy of his former club Shakhtar Donetsk.

Shakhtar Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov said: "The money will be used to cover different needs, from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support, to meeting specific requests. It will be managed by an independent professional team that will work with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers and volunteers.

"I remain utterly confident we will defeat the aggressor. We must do everything we can to bring this day closer. We are forever indebted to our soldiers!"

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It's a very fair question.

Football is supposed to operate under Financial Fair Play rules, so how have the Blues been able to splash out all this cash with seeming impunity?

Well, we've tried to answer that question for you in a piece on the BBC Sport site, cleverly titled 'How can the Blues keep spending?'

Here is what football finance expert Kieran Maguire had to say on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club:

"There are two issues: can they afford it in terms of cash? They can because they are buying players and paying for them in instalments. So the finances of the club itself are fine.

"With regards to Financial Fair Play, the accounting is more Harry Potter than Graham Potter in the sense that it's quite weird and wonderful.

"When you buy a player, you spread the cost of the player over the life of the contract. If we take a look at Mykhailo Mudryk, they bought him for £89m and he is on an eight-and-a-half-year contract. When you sell a player, all of the profits are taken into the accounts immediately [even if actual payments are made in instalments]. We have got the sales of Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. That was £77m worth of profit.

"They also won the Champions League, they won the Uefa Super Cup, they won the Fifa World Club Cup and all of that was extra money coming in. So things aren't as bad as I think some of the commentators are making out."

Chelsea's strategy for getting themselves out of the bother they find themselves in has been pretty clear and unsubtle - spend, spend, spend.

In the summer, the Blues spent a Premier League record £270m - the second-highest summer spend by any club in the world after Real Madrid (£292m) in 2019. And they've not slowed up in this window.

According to Transfermarkt, external, their January spending totals 178.50m euros (£156m) on six arrivals - the latest of which is Noni Magueke from PSV.

Former Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique saw signs of encouragement from the Reds on Tuesday and believes boss Jurgen Klopp is learning not to be too loyal to his players.

Harvey Elliott scored an outstanding goal as a much-changed Liverpool team edged past Wolverhampton Wanderers in their FA Cup third-round replay at Molineux.

"They looked really good, especially in the first half," Enrique told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast. "That was outstanding - the best I have seen from Liverpool for a long time.

"The only mistake Klopp has sometimes made at his time at Liverpool is to defer to players who have been so good for him. He's been too loyal.

"I think he has learned his lesson, though, and will see how it goes until the end of the season."

Have Liverpool turned a corner? It's too early to say, but the win at Wolves in the FA Cup in their last game was certainly an improvement on recent performances, hence a lot of the side who achieved it keeping their places today.

Harvey Elliott's thunderbolt gave the Reds a 1-0 win to send them through to round four of the competition. There were plenty of changes to the XI that started the game, but there was also energy and fight in the side.

In his 1,000th game as a manager, Jurgen Klopp makes three changes to the Liverpool side that beat Wolves in the FA Cup on Tuesday, with 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic keeping his place in midfield.

Alisson, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah come into the starting line-up while the fit-again Darwin Nunez is on the bench after missing the last two games.

James Milner starts at right-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold named among the substitutes.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Milner, Konate, Gomez, Robertson, Bajcetic, Keita, Thiago, Elliott, Salah, Gakpo.

Subs: Kelleher, Fabinho, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Tsimikas, Nunez, Matip, Alexander-Arnold.

Image source, Opta/ BBC

Chelsea make just one alteration to the XI that started their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend with Marc Cucurella coming in for Carney Chukwuemeka.

£89m signing Mykhailo Mudryk will have to wait to make his debut. The 22-year-old winger is on the bench.

Mateo Kovacic is not included in the squad.

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Badiashile, Hall, Cucurella, Jorginho, Gallagher, Mount, Ziyech, Havertz.

Subs: Bettinelli, Aubameyang, Loftus-Cheek, Mudryk, Koulibaly, Fofana, Azpilicueta, Chukwuemeka, Humphreys.

Image source, Opta/ BBC