London: In-form Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka will look to halt former club Liverpool's mini-revival when the defending champions visit Anfield on Sunday in the Premier League.
After a dreadful start to the season, Liverpool has scraped wins over northwest neighbors Bolton and Blackburn to move into midtable. But the Reds are still far from at their best and Anelka, who has already scored 10 goals this season, including three in the last four matches, is in the kind of form to end Liverpool's recent resurgence.
"He has experience. He maintains very good skill, ability, and speed. Overall he is in the best form of his career," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said after Anelka scored the crucial opening goal in the team's 4-1 win over Spartak Moscow in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Anelka spent six months on loan at Liverpool in the second half of the 2001-02 season but wasn't kept on by then-manager Gerard Houllier despite a number of impressive performances.
After spells at Manchester City, Fenerbahce and Bolton, the former France striker moved to Chelsea, where he has come of age, forming a partnership with Didier Drogba up front that is spearheading the Blues' title challenge.
They are five points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United at the top of the league and have lost just once in all competitions this season — to Manchester City in September.
Ancelotti has injury problems in midfield, with Florent Malouda out this weekend with a twisted ankle and Michael Essien and Frank Lampard missing against Spartak because of injury.
Liverpool has climbed out of the relegation zone thanks to gritty back-to-back wins and manager Roy Hodgson has challenged his side to maintain its form as new American owners New England Sports Ventures attempt to revive the club's fortunes.
"The owners are very interesting people and every discussion you have with them is a pleasurable one because they have good questions and clear ideas," Hodgson said. "I have been more than impressed. Sometimes people buy clubs and you don't see or hear them but it has been quite the opposite.
"They are determined to get things right and the quicker the better but ... in the meantime we have to be making the best efforts we can to keep the club as high in the table as possible, and the more we can do in that respect the easier their job will become."
England midfielder Joe Cole, who joined Liverpool after being released by Chelsea last summer, will miss the match against his former employers after straining his hamstring against Bolton.
In the battle to keep up with Chelsea, second-place Arsenal hosts Newcastle on Sunday and United, which is on 20 points like the Gunners, is at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
United's Portugal winger Nani is set to miss the game with a groin injury while manager Alex Ferguson is still without striker Wayne Rooney, who will be sidelined for the next month with an ankle problem.
West Bromwich Albion, which is sixth and is the league's surprise package so far, will aim to pile on the misery for fourth-place Manchester City at the Hawthorns on Sunday.
City has lost its last two matches, to Arsenal and Wolves, and there are widespread reports of dressing room unrest.
"When we see nonsense written in the papers, it pulls us closer together," City midfielder James Milner said. "When it seems like the whole world is against you, that is when you pull together.
"These things will make us stronger as a football club. You go through times when things aren't quite right and it's important to keep things right off the field."
The rest of the games are on Saturday, with all eyes set to be on Tottenham's in-demand winger Gareth Bale when his team visits Bolton.
The Wales international is the talk of the football world after his inspired performances for Spurs against Inter Milan in the Champions League over the past fortnight but he has been well shackled by Premier League defenses in recent weeks.
Elsewhere, Birmingham hosts bottom side West Ham, Blackburn is at home to Wigan, Everton visits Blackpool, Stoke goes to Sunderland, and Fulham hosts Aston Villa, which will be without striker Emile Heskey for a month because of a knee injury.
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