PL 2018/19: Liverpool vs Chelsea - 3 key battles to watch out for

Liverpool take on Chelsea at Anfield in one of the most lip-smacking contests of Gameweek 34 of the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's men will have a firm eye on the top of the table and do their best to not slip and throw the advantage away.

Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea, on the other hand, need a win to retain their spot in the top four of the Premier League table, for whom they are being chased relentlessly by Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal.

On that note, we pick out three key battles that you cannot miss on Sunday.

#1 Mohamed Salah vs Emerson

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool's star man Mohamed Salah, who returns to play against his former club, will be up against Chelsea left-back Emerson at Anfield on Sunday. The latter has overtaken Marcos Alonso in the pecking order and made the left-back spot his own for quite some time now. Salah will be keen on making a few inroads early on and hit Chelsea hard when they are least expecting it.

Emerson is defensively strong and can stop Salah although it is by no means easy. The latter has a habit of cutting inside and threading passes. He is second in the goalscoring charts with eighteen strikes and will be keen on getting to the top.

#2 Naby Keita vs Jorginho

Naby Keita

Liverpool's new signing Naby Keita has enjoyed a purple patch of late, netting two goals in his last two appearances and will be excited to face Maurizio Sarri's Blues on Sunday. Among his opponents, he will have to contend with the enigmatic Jorginho, who plies his trade in the centre of the park.

An excellent distributor of the ball and someone who can convert passes into effective offensive options, Jorginho has somehow had a relatively inconsistent season so far. He has failed to adapt to the Premier League's intensity and his skills will be thoroughly tested by Keita and Liverpool on Sunday.

#3 Eden Hazard vs Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk, Eden Hazard, and Joe Gomez

Although Eden Hazard likes to ply his trade on the left-hand side of Chelsea's attack, he comes into the centre-forward's position too often by cutting through the middle and will have to be negated by Liverpool's Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk. The latter has been brilliant all season and will be itching to keep a clean sheet against Chelsea.

Hazard is extremely skilfull with or without the ball and is rated as a genius. He has been courted by Real Madrid but the Belgian has insisted that his heart is at Stamford Bridge at the moment. Sunday will be a big test of his desire and drive for Maurizio Sarri's men.