Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Chelsea have been the luckiest of the Premier League title contenders with injuries this season, but says the Blues will deserve to be crowned champions this term if they carry on their recent winning run.
Antonio Conte's Chelsea side, who host Bournemouth this afternoon, currently lead the Premier League standings by six points, with Klopp's Liverpool side in second place, one point ahead of Manchester City.
Part of Chelsea's success so far this season has been the club avoiding an injury crisis, with star forwards Diego Costa and Eden Hazard's fine form and fitness seeing the pair score a combined 21 goals already.
In contrast, Klopp has had to deal with injuries to forwards Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings.
The Liverpool boss has questioned how much closer to Chelsea his side could have been with the likes of Coutinho fit, but Klopp concedes that the Blues will deserve to lift the league trophy this season if they continue their superb recent winning streak, which has seen Conte's men secure 11 straight victories.
"There is no perfect system in world football, but when they go on like this they are the deserved champions, nobody could have a doubt about this," Klopp told Sky Sports News.
In Pictures | Crystal Palace vs Chelsea | 17/12/2016
"I am pretty sure that until now Chelsea are maybe the team that have had the most luck with injuries. We lost Phil [Coutinho] and Daniel [Sturridge] and Danny Ings in difficult moments when you really could use them. If it’s Hazard and Costa at Chelsea, is it the same afterwards?"
He added: "Of course they [Chelsea] are the team to beat because they are very experienced, maybe the most experienced team in the top flight at the moment.
"It’s a long season and they all have to play us again and not only us, they have to play Arsenal again and all of the others."
