A few weeks ago, this fixture between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield would have been dubbed a potential title decider, but after the Reds fell to 10 points adrift of their counterparts, finishing in the top four is likely to be the Merseyside outfit's focus.
Of course, if Jurgen Klopp's side manage to snatch all three points on Tuesday evening, the momentum will be with them, but if they do not, Antonio Conte's men will pull themselves further away from the pack in the Premier League.
Liverpool
© SilverHubIt has been a disappointing start to 2017 for Liverpool, having won just one of their eight fixtures in all competitions since the turn of the year.
The solitary victory came against League Two Plymouth Argyle in a replay of the FA Cup third round, but that result turned out to be meaningless after they were knocked out of the competition by Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.
Klopp and his team are facing Chelsea in their worst form of the season, and if they fail to gain a result on home soil on Tuesday night, the pressure will intensify on the manager.
With four months left to go in the season, the Premier League is the only competition that fourth-placed Liverpool are competing in following their early FA Cup exit and defeat in the EFL Cup semi-finals to Southampton, which marked the first time that Klopp has ever lost a semi-final in his management career.
In the last two games - against Wolves and Southampton - Liverpool played against teams who packed their own halves and destroyed the Reds on the counter-attack, and each time Klopp's men have failed to deal with it.
Against Southampton last week, Liverpool dominated possession with 72% and created 13 shots, but just three of them were on target. The Saints had two, and one of them resulted in the only goal of the game.
Anfield was a fortress for around a year, but a 3-2 loss to Swansea City on January 21 kickstarted a three-match losing run on home turf, ending Liverpool's impressive unbeaten spell.
The Reds continue to be the league's top scorers with 51 to their name, but with Arsenal one goal shy of their record, they may be overtaken soon, particularly as they have only scored seven goals in eight games in all competitions in 2017.
The defence continues to be a problem for Liverpool, and it has not been helped by Joel Matip's recent absence due to a dispute with FIFA over his eligibility, therefore he and Dejan Lovren are yet to form a strong partnership.
Twenty-seven goals have been conceded by the Reds this season, with just six clean sheets being kept, and both Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius have made fumbles in between the sticks.
The positive for Liverpool heading into the clash against Chelsea is that they are unbeaten in league matches against the current top six.
They have defeated Arsenal away, drawn with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, overcame Manchester City at home, beaten Chelsea away and drawn with Manchester United twice.
Recent form: WWWDDL
Recent form (all competitions): LDWLLL
Chelsea
© SilverHubIt is already difficult for anyone to catch Chelsea in the title race given that they have an eight-point advantage over the rest of the field, but it will be even harder if they overcome one of their rivals on Tuesday night.
Since Conte switched the team's formation to 3-4-3, the Blues have been flying in the top flight, with just one blemish on their league record since the start of October.
That defeat came at White Hart Lane, where Tottenham Hotspur secured a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Dele Alli.
The result prevented Chelsea from breaking the league record of most consecutive wins, instead forcing them to settle for 13 wins on the bounce.
It has been the only time since October when Conte's side has been questioned and it gave their competitors the chance to close ground on their lead.
However, the West London outfit bounced back immediately with back-to-back wins over Leicester City and Hull City, and even the recent dispute involving Diego Costa has not nudged them off balance.
Chelsea are the second most in-form team behind Spurs having picked up 15 points from a possible 18 in their recent games, and they have also moved into the fifth round of the FA Cup with wins over Peterborough and Brentford; they scored four goals in both.
Conte's team are strong at both ends of the pitch, as they have the third-best attack behind Liverpool and Arsenal after scoring 47 league goals, with Costa as joint top scorer alongside Alexis Sanchez on 14. The club's defensive record is the best in the division so far having conceded just 15 goals with 13 clean sheets.
In terms of their record against the top six this season, all three of their league defeats in the campaign have come about at the hands of their closest title challengers.
As well as the loss to Spurs, Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at Stamford Bridge and the following week lost 3-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates.
Recent form: WWWLWW
Recent form (all competitions): WLWWWW
Team News
© SilverHubSadio Mane has been a huge miss for Liverpool during his stint at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, but over the weekend his nation were knocked out of the tournament, and he is now on his way back to Merseyside.
Klopp told the media in his pre-match press conference that he will "look into his eyes" before deciding whether or not to play Mane against Chelsea.
The 24-year-old is likely to be involved at some point during the match, but it would be a surprise if he is named in the starting XI at Anfield tomorrow night.
Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana both sat out of the Reds' FA Cup game against Wolves due to abdominal and shin problems respectively, but only the latter has returned to training, which means that youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold could play at right-back.
As for Conte's side, Costa is likely to keep his place in attack after returning to the fold against Hull City following his snub for the Blues' 3-0 win over Leicester on January 14.
John Terry was handed a rare start against Brentford at the weekend, but he is likely to drop out for the trip to Merseyside, with Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and David Luiz returning to the backline.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Milner; Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois: Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz; Moses, Matic, Kante, Alonso; Hazard, Costa, Pedro
Head To Head
In the last six league meetings between the two clubs, it has been very even, with Liverpool winning two, Chelsea winning two and the remaining fixtures ending in draws.
Crucially, the Reds are unbeaten in the last three top-flight games having won on two occasions and recording a 1-1 draw at Anfield in their 2015-16 campaign.
As mentioned, Klopp's men caused an upset at Stamford Bridge in September, winning it 2-1. Lovren opened the scoring and Jordan Henderson doubled their lead inside the first 40 minutes of the game.
Costa pulled a goal back for Chelsea on the 61-minute mark, but Liverpool held on to snatch all three points during a blistering start to the season.
The last time that the Blues earned a win over their Merseyside rivals in the league was during the 2014-15 season, in which they claimed a 2-1 victory at Anfield. Emre Can nudged the Reds ahead in the ninth minute, but goals from Cahill and Costa gave Chelsea the win.
We say: Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
In these games, the form guide is usually thrown out the window, and the way in which Klopp has fared against the top six sides this season suggests that it will not be an easy ride for Chelsea. Having said that, confidence will be low among the Liverpool squad following three defeats on the bounce, while the Chelsea squad will be feeling the complete opposite. The Anfield crowd could help their team get on the scoresheet, but the Blues have enough quality to get the result that they need.
