Top six will have a Liverpool shirt on when Chelsea come to town, says Steven Gerrard

Interview: But he warns a Chelsea win will signal a title procession for the rest of the season

There are 10 points currently separating Liverpool and leaders Chelsea (Getty)

Steven Gerrard insists “everyone will have a Liverpool shirt on” when Chelsea visit Anfield on Tuesday night but warns a victory for the Blues could turn the rest of the season into a procession.

Chelsea are currently eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, having only dropped 11 points all season, eight of which were lost before October.

With Arsenal the closest contenders at the moment, and six points separating them and sixth-place Manchester United, Gerrard believes Liverpool taking the three points against Antonio Conte’s side is the only hope the chasing pack have of catching the seemingly champions-elect.

“The whole league needs a win for Liverpool,” said BT Sport’s Gerrard.

“If you lose the game, that’s game over in terms of title race. I think everyone will have a Liverpool shirt on come Tuesday night because the likes of Tottenham, United, Arsenal, Man City will all be hoping they get that small glimmer of hope and that chance that Liverpool are search for as well.

“You look at what they’ve given away since the start of the season, 11 points is it? I think they could even improve in the second half of the season.

“They’ve got the experience, they’ve got the winners in the squad. If they were to win at Anfield, I would be very surprised if they didn’t go on and win it.

"It's almost a last-chance saloon to keep the title race alive.

"The players, the manager and the staff aren't daft. They know that if the gap goes to 13 points them it's game over. There is a massive difference between seven and 13.”

Chelsea’s only defeat in their last 16 games came in front of a pumped White Hart Lane against Tottenham, with Anfield more than capable of creating a similarly intense atmosphere.

However big games have not come easy to the Reds under Jurgen Klopp, with Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final defeat to Southampton coming on the back of losing two major finals last season – the Europa League against Sevilla and the League Cup to Manchester City.

The Reds seemingly struggle on the big occasions, but Gerrard insists they will not be thinking of their previous high-profile failures when Chelsea come to town.

“The hardest thing in a game is to get over the line,” he continued. “I found that on a couple of occasions in the Premier League.

“When you get to a certain stage of a competition you’re coming up against world-class teams, world-class managers and world-class players and you need that extra bit of special, talented players to get you over the line in the final bit because this league, and the competitions that the clubs are involved in, when you get to the last four and the final or the final stretch, that’s when it becomes that little bit harder.

Gerrard thinks Liverpool's EFL Cup exit won't hinder them against Chelsea (Getty)

“I think Liverpool have found that over the last 12 months. They’ve been sensational up until the finals and they’ve just fell short.

“I think that sometimes the hurt and the disappointment of missing out can help you moving forward. I know the players very well in that dressing room and they’re desperate for success. They’ll be realising now that in the final stages of these competitions, you need to find that bit extra. That’s the key.”

Liverpool have only won once in their last eight games – a 0-1 FA Cup replay away to Plymouth Argyle – with it being suggested that Jurgen Klopp’s high intensity, high pressing tactics are not sustainable mentally or physically throughout a Premier League season.

When he was manager at Borussia Dortmund, his players had the winter break to recover before a second-half-of-the-season push, but Gerrard believes the Reds have just become a victim of circumstance.

"Without European football I think it's sustainable - but only if you keep everyone available.

Gerrard rejected suggestions Klopp's tactics are fatiguing Liverpool (Getty)

"The problem is that when your squad becomes smaller, your options become limited, and that's when it's hard to sustain.

"[Sadio] Mane has gone away, [Philippe] Coutinho has been injured and [Joel] Matip hasn't been able to play. They've had a bit of a wobble.

"Does the winter break make that much difference? I'm not sure.

"I think it's more a case of having fit bodies available so that you can make subtle changes and keep people fresh.

"If you have a reasonably small squad - which I think Liverpool have - that's when the questions get asked about a winter break."

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