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What's the story?
Just 3 days after facing and getting eliminated by Chelsea in the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup, Liverpool take on the Blues yet again later tonight - this time, in a crucial Premier League match.
Speaking ahead of the important encounter, Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, has revealed what he thinks about Hazard, as well as Chelsea's style of play. The German tactician also spoke about his side's chances at Stamford Bridge tonight.
In case you didn't know...
Earlier this week, Liverpool and Chelsea played out an exhilaratingly high-octane match that eventually saw the Blues beat the Reds 2-1 in an excellent late come back. Notably, Hazard seemed to be the driving force behind Chelsea's victory as it was his stunning goal in the 85th minute that secured Chelsea's passage to the 4th round of the Carabao Cup.
After scoring that delightful goal at Anfield, Hazard was called “best player in the Premier League” by former Liverpool player, Jamie Carragher.
The heart of the matter
Speaking about Hazard and Liverpool's plans to stop the electrifying Belgian, Klopp said:
“You need to be ready and it is more than tough and I have the biggest respect for this player. I love it, what a player, wow!
“But it is not to defend alone. Yes, it is difficult, but we have to do all the things around it: close spaces, make passes more difficult.
“I think one of our biggest chances on Wednesday came when we won the ball off Hazard.
Further, speaking about Chelsea's style of play under Maurizio Sarri and the potential to attack the Blues on counter-attacks, Klopp said:
“We really love that the other team has a football style and approach, passing or whatever,”
“I said before the game on Wednesday I really respect it. The plan is really good. But no plan is perfect unfortunately and I realised that a few times when I thought I had a good one and it didn't work out.
“Of course it is completely different. The Chelsea team of the last two years were perfectly organised, good defending on the highest level.
“It was not bus parking, but a very good defensive team with world class players on the pitch. Now it is different. We will have our chances. Each team has had chances against Chelsea so far.”
While Klopp certainly seems to have studied Chelsea and their tactics extensively, it will be interesting to see if he can devise a plan to help Liverpool get the better of tonight's opponents this time around.
Video: Eden Hazard is in blistering form
What's next?
Chelsea play Liverpool tonight at Stamford Bridge, 5:30 PM local time. With 2 points separating the Londoners from the table-topping Merseysiders on the points table, plenty will be at stake as the players step onto the pitch tonight.
