Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has warned his old club and Manchester City that Chelsea duo Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante could have a huge say in this season's title race.
Man City currently sit on top of the Premier League title race, with the Reds in second, and the Blues in third - with only two points separating the leaders and third-place.
It could be one of the most exciting title races we have seen in years, but it could be decided by the return of Chelsea duo Kovacic and Kante, according to Murphy.
Kante has been struggling with a knee injury he suffered in last month's victory over Juventus, while Kovacic was also out due to a problem, before returning to training and then testing positive for Covid-19.
The Croatia international is still self-isolating following the positive test, but all being well, is set to come back when he gets a negative result.
Writing in his latest Mail Online column, Murphy said: "The most significant result on Saturday was Chelsea's late win against Leeds. We all expect Liverpool and Manchester City to contend for the title — so the big question has been whether Chelsea can stick with them.
"To accumulate points and stay in the mix during a difficult time is a real mark of championship contenders, which makes me thinks we might have a genuine three-horse race this season.
"Chelsea have suffered by missing N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, who are key to the way Thomas Tuchel plays. When those two return, the performances will improve - so to remain in the hunt to date is impressive.
"I'd still make City slight favourites, Liverpool next and Chelsea as outsiders. But in truth they are all so packed with quality, part of the fun over the coming months is not knowing what will happen."
The start of January for Chelsea is set to be a huge period for this season's title race. The Blues welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge on January 2 before they make the trip up to Manchester City less than a fortnight later.
