Beating Chelsea at Anfield could shape our entire season from here, says Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Tuesday's match with top-of-the-table Chelsea at Anfield can shape the entire course of his side’s season, with victory making Antonio Conte’s team still catchable but defeat opening a 13-point gap which would effectively extinguish any remaining title hopes.

Liverpool entered January with Klopp stating it must be “annoying” for Chelsea to have won 13 league games in succession and still found Liverpool - then fresh from victory over Manchester City - still on their coat-tails, six points behind. But after one win in eight this month, the side are tonight fighting to avoid what would be the first run of four consecutive home defeats since 1923, after three losses on home turf in a mere ten days.

Klopp insisted that even a win, closing the gap to seven points, would not give Liverpool any entitlement to say that Conte’s side can be caught. But he made it clear that no further points can be squandered now, after a defeat and two draws in the Premier League since Pep Guardiola’s side were seen off on New Year’s Eve.

“If we are seven behind Chelsea we cannot say now we go for them,” Klopp said. "They might win the rest of the games…! [But] we need the points. We cannot waste time or points any more. That [narrower] gap would obviously make the league that little bit more exciting for a lot of people. But that means nothing. We want to go for these three points and that’s enough to be motivated at the highest, highest level.”

Klopp’s frustrations have been compounded by a delay to the return of Sadio Mane – who Liverpool have missed badly but who will not return to Melwood from Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations squad until Tuesday, because take-off clearance could not be secured for a private jet sent to fetch him. The 24-year instead flew out of Gabon with the defeated Senegal squad and spent an additional night in Africa with an English physiotherapist, with the Liverpool jet finally allowed to leave on Monday afternoon. He underwent a recovery session in Africa but will be assessed by the manager on Tuesday morning.

Klopp, who will not reinforce on transfer deadline day despite the squad limitations revealed by League and FA Cup eliminations by Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, said that Adam Lallana was fit but that Nathaniel Clyne’s rib injury would need to be assessed.

The German added that “a lot of teams in the league would be on our side and want us to win” in the match against Conte’s side but admitted that improved motivation alone would not see his players through tonight.

“Is it motivation [we need] or doing the right things at the right moment?” he asked. “We need each little bit of concentration, not to try to be special, but do the right thing at the right moment. Do great football in the little space [Chelsea provide you with.] They [Chelsea] play the system they play and they play with the same team nearly all the time. That’s how progress can work if you have these quality players. They have experience and are at that age where they still want to get things right. They are a team educated by Jose Mourinho – and then by Conte - the kind of players who are outstanding.”