Tonight (31st January) sees Chelsea travel to Anfield to play Liverpool. And it would be an understatement to say that the other remaining top six teams would like a win for the reds.
Why such an important game?
It is important because a Liverpool win would breathe new life into the Premier League title chase. Currently, as stated on Fotmob, Chelsea have an eight point gap on second place. But with Arsenal due to visit Chelsea this weekend, a victory for both teams against the Stamford Bridge outfit would make things very interesting.
Liverpool stumbling
When these two sides last met in September, Liverpool blew Chelsea away winning 2-1 as stated on the BBC website. But the situation is very different now. Liverpool have won just once this month and that was aמ FA Cup third round replay against League 2 side Plymouth. It is also clear that Liverpool have been exposed in recent weeks. What enabled the Merseyside club to rise so high in the league and play such scintillating football was the fact that they were only playing one game a week, for the most part. This month was different as they have had to play nine games in all competitions. This has taken its toll on the high intensity football that was their key feature earlier on.
Another issue has been the absence of Sadio Mane. He has been a massive loss for his side as they have missed his pace and pressing at the top end of the field.
Chelsea continue to dominate
Chelsea on the other hand have steamrolled most teams that they have played. What has been key is not only the return to form of players such as Pedro, Hazard and Costa, but the great resilience that is in the side, aided by a strong and consistent back line.
What is also crucial is that even when playing badly they have still managed to emerge victorious. Credit must go to the manager Antonio Conte who, after seeing his side loose heavily to Arsenal (3-0) in September, changed the shape and continued to play, for the most part, the same team game after game. That has helped massively.
So who will win?
Despite the past three home games for Liverpool which all ended in defeat, I just think things will be different tonight. With the Kop behind them, and the players keen to show a positive reaction after last week, I would not be surprised if Liverpool won, especially if Mane plays. But do not discount Chelsea. There is a reason that they are top of the league; it is no accident. The fact that a draw is not really enough for Liverpool but may be for Chelsea, I see Liverpool coming out and setting a high tempo early on. They need to, not just for themselves but for everybody else around them.
