Liverpool's lofty ambitions

In a typical quirk of football fixture list providence, Liverpool and Chelsea meet again in a domestic duel just four days after they played each other in the first ever match between two teams from the same country in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

Champions elect
If anything, the Premiership clash between the European and English champions is even more important fixture at this stage of the season than their European meeting. It is all about the context. Chelsea FC, so dominant in the embryonic Premiership season that some bookmakers have already started paying out on them winning the title, would move 17 points clear of Rafael Benítez's team should they win on Sunday.

Must-win match
Thus, while both sides were content with a draw on Wednesday, safe in the knowledge that they are well positioned to advance to the knockout stages, the Reds need a win on Sunday to preserve their title aspirations while the Blues know that a win would effectively knock a supposed contender out of contention.

Close encounters
The sides' second match in quick succession follows five meetings last season. The bald statistics show that Liverpool have won only once in those six meetings and scored just three goals but Chelsea failed to score from open play in any of the matches, while they have not scored in the past three clashes.

Crouch to conquer
Liverpool had the better of the play on Wednesday and one potential factor in that was one of the new variables introduced this season, Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. As the Kop chant "He's big, he's red, his feet stick out the bed" testifies, Crouch is very, very tall, some 1.98m. But the striker, who made his England debut in the summer, brings more than just a basketball player's physique, embodying the great touch for a big man cliché with his excellent close control.

Lampard acclaim
Even as Chelsea indicted Liverpool for what they perceived as a Crouch-inspired direct game this week, there was a grudging respect for the unique ability of the boyhood Chelsea fan. Indeed, Frank Lampard has called for his inclusion in the England team. "Crouchy is one of the best at what he does," he said. "He's such a different kind of threat to what you encounter elsewhere and he does it very well. He's got great feet and not only does he flick the ball on, he brings people into the game."

Repeat dose
Crouch was typically self-effacing when he spoke to uefa.com on Wednesday. "I thought I did OK and caused them a few problems," he said. "It will be another battle on Sunday but hopefully it will be more of the same and I can maybe nick a goal.

No fear
He added: "We need to close the gap and being at home it's a game we really need to win. They've got a fantastic squad and it will be difficult to catch them but looking at tonight's performance we've got nothing to fear. We will take that confidence into Sunday's game and hopefully we can do enough to win.

Improved service
Certainly coach Benítez believes Crouch will be a key figure. He said: "When we decided to sign Crouch we knew we needed to give him service and we need more time to work on that. He is a very good player. He can hold the ball up; he is good in the air and good on the ground. People say we need to cross a lot of balls for him and I know that."