Liverpool have officially hit a rough patch following consecutive defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray in the league and Champions League respectively.
Arne Slot has not overseen three straight losses since taking over as head coach for the Reds at the beginning of last season. He will have a challenge on his hands to keep this streak alive on Saturday when his side faces Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
This fixture is already one of the biggest on the calendar every season, but this one feels extra important following the recent downturn in form.
Let's take a look at three reasons why Liverpool must defeat Chelsea on Saturday.
1. Keep the pressure on the chasing pack
The Reds still hold a two point advantage over Arsenal and are three points clear of the Eagles in third as of this writing. However, if things go awry again at the Bridge, they could be looking up at the end of the weekend.
A victory over the Blues would be a huge statement of intent and will keep the Gunners in chase mode for the time-being.
Points dropped or gained in September and October are just as valuable as points lost or gained in the spring, so getting as much as they can from this one will be big when the season peaks in May.
Chelsea currently sit in eighth while Manchester City are seventh meaning that Liverpool can still do a job to keep these perceived title challengers pinned down for as long as they can.
As the reigning Premier League champions, Slot's men have the biggest target on their back each and every week, but getting a win in this fixture would make potential challengers rethink their expectations.
2. Restore belief in the squad
This summer was one of massive change at the club with several high-profile exits and arrivals.
This version of Liverpool have not won silverware together, and this is also their first case of adversity as a team. So, righting the ship against a "Big 6" side would go a long way to injecting the squad with much needed belief in the long-term goal.
Despite the points haul this season, the Reds have not played a complete game yet to this point. It has been a lot of broken play with late moments of brilliance being the difference between dropped points and wins.
Slot is clearly still learning who he can trust and where he can trust them to play as well, so a strong showing versus Chelsea could help a lot of different players' standings in his view.
With Alisson now confirmed to miss nearly six weeks of action, Liverpool will want to build as much confidence and momentum as they can over the coming matches to make sure the ship stays on course.
A win over the Blues on their home ground would show this version of the Reds can handle the pressure and are not going away anytime soon.
3. It's always good to beat Chelsea
There is never a bad occasion for Liverpool to hand Chelsea a defeat, regardless of the competition they are playing.
In recent years, these two clubs have met in several cup finals as well as significant Premier League matchups. Over the years, this rivalry has only grown and gotten more intense.
Despite sitting on 8 points, the Blues are still a dangerous side that cannot be taken lightly and they will surely be up for this visit from the reigning league champions. Liverpool getting a win here and going 10 points clear of Maresca's men would be a huge boost to morale at Anfield.
That ruthless mentality of putting a title rival down early can boost a team into a few weeks of inspired form based off the strong result.
I am under no illusions that this will be a stroll in the park for our lads, but if they cannot get inspired by this fixture, something more serious is at play here.
Beating the Blues is always one of the targets when you pull up the fixture list, and Saturday gives Slot and Co. their first chance to restore order and get one over on their rivals.