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This article is part of Football FanCast's The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Liverpool's trip to Chelsea on Sunday promises to be an exciting clash but they will need Sadio Mane to be firing on all cylinders to take three points back to Anfield.
On the chalkboard
The Senegal international has been key to the Reds this season with four goals and one assist in five Premier League games.
He was also pivotal the last time these sides met, in August, scoring twice to ensure the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which Liverpool won to lift the UEFA Super Cup.
Keeping Mane quiet will be crucial to Chelsea, but they often struggle against him, with the forward scoring five and assisting two in his 12 appearances against the Blues.
Under Frank Lampard they have been far from solid in defence, too, with 11 goals conceded in the Premier League so far, with Cesar Azpilicueta receiving minimal support from a midfield which has missed the presence of N'Golo Kante for much of the season, as seen through their defensive record.
Azpilicueta has been a reliable performer for the Blues over the years, but fans on Twitter have been far from impressed with some of his displays so far this term.
Despite that criticism, according to WhoScored the right-back has led by example with 2.8 tackles per game, and that suggests Mane will be up against a dogged player who refuses to give up, as well as being a defender who reads the game brilliantly, making five interceptions in the Super Cup.
He did fail to contain Mane's quality in that game however. The 27-year-old took up threatening positions throughout and had the finishing to match, so if he gets the ball in the final third he will be very difficult to stop.
The Liverpool forward loves to cut in from the right, but he is still at times impossible to stop because of his pace and quick-thinking.
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He can curl the ball into the top corner or link up with Roberto Firmino or Mo Salah on the edge of the box, as his average key passes per game prove, and therefore Azpilicueta will have a tough time dealing with the different type of threat he provides.
The best method for Chelsea is to play narrow, and keep Fikayo Tomori close to the right-back, reducing the gaps inside the box that Mane loves to take up, forcing him to dribble, an aspect of his game that hasn't been as good this season, according to WhoScored.
Despite that, Mane is in a goalscoring mood and has showed this season that he only needs half a chance, and that makes it unlikely Azpilicueta, or Chelsea, will be able to stop him.