Antonio Conte believes that if Chelsea win at Anfield on Tuesday night it would land a “hard hit” to Liverpool’s confidence, but believes the result will not determine the rest of their season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are in freefall after a disastrous January. They have won one of their last eight games, and that came against Plymouth Argyle. They have lost three straight home games, seeing the gap between them and Chelsea increase to 10 points. If Chelsea win on Tuesday it will be 13 - effectively ruling Liverpool out of the title race.

Conte insisted that Tuesday's game would not end Liverpool’s season should the result go against them, but admitted defeat could do damage that would be difficult to repair. “After this game, there are 15 games left, and a lot of points [to play for]” Conte said. “For sure, it would be a hard hit, mentally, for Liverpool [if they lose]. But I repeat: there are 15 games after this and 45 points available before the season finishes. For this reason I think the result is important, but the result doesn't decide the season of Chelsea or Liverpool tomorrow.”

After Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0 on New Year’s Eve they were still just six points behind Chelsea but Conte knows the gap will be more than twice that should the Blues emerge victorious on Tuesday night. “It is important for them and for us to win the game,” Conte said. “When there are these games between two great opponents, it's important to win to increase your confidence and to keep them behind us with the right distance.”

This game is a very long way from the two teams’ first meeting back in September when Liverpool won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Since then Chelsea went on a 13-game winning streak, equalling the Premier League record, making them look like likely champions. It has been a remarkable transformation, and while Liverpool have gone in the opposite direction, Conte says that his own team have changed more.

“Honestly, I think that we are a different team, not Liverpool,” Conte said. “We have grown a lot. If you think about the first game against Liverpool, I said we had faced a really great team in Liverpool, but that day we were not a team. Only through work could we improve to become a team. And it happened.”

Conte points to those September defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal as the games that warned Chelsea against a repeat of last season’s disaster under Jose Mourinho. Their season has since turned around, towards the title. “After the games against Liverpool and Arsenal, we improved a lot in our performances, our identity and our confidence,” Conte said. “Something changed in our minds. We grew a lot. For this reason, we are now top of the table. It's incredible, this, because it's not easy to have two defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal and find the strength to get to the top of the table with 13 wins in a row. But it happened, and I'm pleased for my players because they deserved this.”