Liverpool vs Chelsea: 5 key battles to watch out for

#3 Philippe Coutinho vs N'Golo Kante

Coutinho will be key to Liverpool's chances this season

In spite of the continued interest from La Liga giants Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho continues to impress his admirers through his excellent performances for Liverpool this season. The Brazilian now sits third in Liverpool’s all-time assists charts with only Steve McManaman (58) and Steven Gerrard (92) registering more for the club.

Coutinho operates through the middle of the park and has also shown a keen eye for goal on several occasions this year. The 25-year-old’s future is still uncertain but he has been a standout player for Liverpool since making his debut in 2013 and the Liverpool faithful will be pinning their hopes on him yet again.

14 - Philippe Coutinho has been directly involved in 14 goals in his last 15 appearances for Liverpool in the @premierleague (10 goals and four assists). Samba. pic.twitter.com/mHwbeBp9dO

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 18, 2017

However, Coutinho will come up against one of the finest defensive midfielders in the world at the moment in the form of Chelsea’s midfield engine N’golo Kante. Chelsea look like a completely different side when the Frenchman plays and creative players like Cesc Fabregas and Hazard have been reaping the rewards of the extra freedom they enjoy while playing with Kante.

This will be a feisty battle contested through the middle and both players will be given key roles mainly in nullifying each other’s impact on the game. With the fixture not boasting of midfield generals Frank Lampard and Gerrard anymore, this could become a battle that can scale the same heights.