Chelsea V Liverpool: Who's Having a Better Season, Frank Lampard or Luis Suarez?

Sunday's matchup between Liverpool and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is critical for both sides, as Liverpool sit in sixth, just three points behind a fourth-place Chelsea, and a win would be critical as the Reds continue their campaign for a spot in the top four, while Chelsea looks to regain their footing in the Premiership title race.

Both sides will be looking to their pivotal players—Liverpool striker Luis Suárez and Chelsea midfield mainstay Frank Lampard—to be the game-changers for their side. But which of these two Premiership heavy-hitters is having the better season so far? 

Suárez arguably had the better start to the season, scoring in four consecutive matches (three wins and a draw, one of which was a Carling Cup match), contributing heavily to the Reds' first win over Arsenal in 11 years and being named Man of the Match in the 3-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Lampard's was hardly anything to sneeze at though—he had two assists and a goal in the first three weeks of the season.

Things began to look a bit hazy for Lamps in September: he was left out of the lineup for England's match against Bulgaria and benched in Chelsea's 4-1 victory over Swansea City at the end of the month, leading to speculation about his career and where it was going.

But he put the doubters to rest at the beginning of October with a spectacular performance in Chelsea's 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers, including a hat trick, and he's been on form in subsequent matches. 

In terms of goal-scoring, the winner here is Lampard. Lamps has Suárez beat on goals and assists, with six goals and four assists in Premier League play so far this season compared to Suárez's four goals and one assist in 11 appearances. His most impressive display, as with Suárez, came against Bolton Wanderers, where he scored a stunner of a hat-trick in Chelsea's 5-1 routing.

Lamps also has him beat on shots-to-goals ratio and shots on target, but just by a hair. It's also worth noting they've faced most of the same opponents, so it's not like either one has had an easier time. 

In terms of importance to the team, it's more of a toss-up. Suárez and Lamps are arguably each of their respective teams' most important player right now.

Although Steven Gerrard is still something of a spiritual leader, while on the pitch, Suárez is the alpha, with the rest of the attack built around him. He's quickly become a major fan favorite at the Kop—he's even got his own Depeche Mode tuned song—and participated in the city's "I'm Liverpool" campaign, willingly serving as its sporting face.

Lampard's importance at Chelsea is well-understood and well-documented, as one of the team's longest-running stars and mainstays, a long-time fan favorite and a leader on the pitch, although as Chelsea's defense struggles, Petr Cech may pass him a bit in terms of logistical importance on the day-to-day on the pitch. Overall though, both are indispensable, that's for sure. 

It's also worth noting that Suárez and Lampard are at different points in their careers and relationships with their current clubs, and therefore have different things to prove.

Lampard, now 33 and toward the end of his time at Chelsea, is looking to finish strong and cement his legacy at the Stamford Bridge.

Suárez has been at the Kop for less than a year—he's got more ultimately to prove in continuing to deliver on a strong start and quickly becoming so important to Liverpool's game. He must continue to perform in order to cement a great legacy at the club at all. 

On paper, club and individually, Frank Lampard has had the better season so far, but in terms of fan admiration and importance to the club, it's a bit more even.

So now, we turn it over to you: Who do you think is having the better season? Why? Do you think it will be the same person on top when it comes down to the end of the season?