Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti knows victory over Liverpool will almost certainly leave the Blues with one hand on the Barclays Premier League trophy.
The Blues responded to Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday by mauling shellshocked Stoke 7-0 at Stamford Bridge to go one point clear of their rivals at the summit.
“It will be very difficult at Liverpool,” said Ancelotti. “But it is in our hands. Liverpool are a fantastic team, still going for fourth place.
“It’s ours to lose. But that’s a good thing. To have a title in our own hands is a good thing.
“So now I am quiet and calm. I am happy because we played very well. It was an important game. We needed to come back to the top of the league after Manchester United’s win, and we played very well.
“But we don’t need to send a message to the other teams. This is a good message for us. We needed a good reaction after the defeat at Tottenham, and we did that. This is a good message for us, no-one else.
“I think United will be able to win their games. They have Sunderland and Stoke, and every game is a different story, but our aim is to win two games. I know that, if we win two games, we are champions. I hope we play against Liverpool like we played (yesterday).
“They will want to fight against us to reach fourth. That’s a very important position for the future of their club.”