Liverpool vs Chelsea: Two key battles which could decided the game

Liverpool welcome top-four rivals Chelsea to Anfield tomorrow evening in yet another must-win game.

The two sides have already met this season with Liverpool beating the London side 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. A first-half red card for Chelsea for Andreas Christensen allowed the Reds to take full control of the game.

The Reds came out in the second half and scored two goals in the opening ten minutes thanks to Sadio Mane. Reds keeper Alisson Becker also denied Jorginho from the spot to ensure a clean sheet for the travelling Reds.

However, this will be a completely different game from their previous encounter. Since that meeting in September, Liverpool have seen themselves go through an injury crisis. The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Diogo Jota and Naby Keïta have all faced long spells out injured.

The same is said for this Chelsea side, who when the sides last met had Frank Lampard in the dugout. Since his sacking Thomas Tuchel has come in and brought some stability back into the Blues. With his sides keeping four clean sheets in his first four home games since his arrival.

Despite the changes to both teams, the importance of this game remains the same, but where will this game be won?

Ozan Kabak vs Oliver Giroud

The 20-year old centre half has had a mixed bag of performances since arriving on loan from FC Schalke 04. His solid performances against RB Leipzig and Sheffield United have been outweighed by his performances against Leicester City and Everton.

Perhaps it will be his performance in the Merseyside Derby that gives Thomas Tuchel the best chance to win. During that game, we saw Kabak have a bit of a nightmare dealing with the ball in the air.

This could see Tuchel go with Oliver Giroud who is arguably the best striker in the air in the league in a bid for all three points.

Liverpool's front three vs Chelsea's back three

This season has been disappointing for Liverpool's front three by their standards. With Mane and Firmino seeing a huge decline in their productivity the team has been reliant on former Chelsea man Mohamed Salah.

However, in the last game vs Sheffield United, we saw signs that this front three can still cause issues for any team.

Since Tuchel arrived, the most notable difference is in their defence and how they look a lot more solid. Since the German walked into Stamford Bridge, this Chelsea team has conceded just two goals in the league.

The switch to a back three with two wingbacks/winger in front has seen them become a lot harder to beat.