Liverpool and Chelsea played in an entertaining draw in the first leg when it was played at Anfield last week. The Blues took a lead and protected it for a long period until their resilience gave them away and the Reds scored through a goal from Raheem Sterling.
Their recent form and their performance in the first leg will have given Liverpool a huge boost of confidence and they will be eager to settle the tie on Tuesday, here are five ways they can do so:
Stamford Bridge no longer a fortress
There was a time when it was near to impossible to beat a Chelsea side under Jose Mourinho at their own home. However this season it has happened much more than before and this will surely give the Liverpool players belief that they can do the same.
Bradford City gave Chelsea a reality check when the two sides met in the FA Cup last time out, a match the visitors won by a 4-2 score line. Whereas the Chelsea players will be eager to respond with a good performance they might perhaps not have the same confidence playing at home than they did before and this is something the Reds can exploit.
Keep Matic busy
The Serbian has been his team's primary play breaker and is an integral part of the Chelsea setup. Chelsea do not have many weaknesses but do seem vulnerable when Nemanja Matic is not in front of the back four to protect the back line.
Liverpool do tend to crowd the midfield and if someone can manage to drag out Matic from his position in the middle of the field repeatedly, that can cause huge problems for the home side. Philippe Coutinho is one player who can perform this role with aplomb. The Brazilian has wonderful feet and technical ability and is capable of keeping Matic busy freeing up a lot of space for the other attacking players to exploit.
Make use of the right flank
Lazar Markovic has made quite an impression for Liverpool in recent games and he can be the man to create the difference for Liverpool. Eden Hazard will be operating on the left wing for Chelsea this means that Liverpool and Markovic can take advantage of the Belgian's reluctance to track back.
However this also implies that the Serbian must not desert his defensive responsibilities and tracks back whenever needed to keep Hazard at bay.
Raheem Sterling must step up again
Liverpool seem to be finally getting over the Luis Suarez hangover and whereas Brendan Rodgers' tactics have played a big role in this, the emergence of Raheem Sterling as a striker has also revitalized the side.
The youngster made a blistering run inside the box in the first leg to equalise and ensure that Liverpool have a fighting chance to make it to the final of the competition. It is important that the 20 year old uses pace to his advantage once again especially because Chelsea's centre back pairing of John Terry and Cahill is hardly the quickest. It is also important that Cahill is put under pressure since the former Bolton man despite of being a competent defender has the tendency of making the odd error.
Lucas will have a big role to play
The Brazilian's return to the starting eleven has produced remarkable results for Liverpool who have performed better when they have Lucas Leiva protecting the back four. The 28 year old produced a commendable performance in the first leg and is expected to play an integral role in the second. However it must be borne in mind that Chelsea adopted a defensive approach in the first leg but they can be hard to contain when their attacking minded players are in the mood.
The likes of Hazard, Fabregas and Oscar can unlock the most resilient of defences when they are in the mood. Lucas will have to put forth a tireless performance to ensure the Chelsea attacking trio does not get enough space to operate.
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