Jurgen Klopp believes beating Sunderland at Anfield on Saturday will bounce Liverpool back to the top, although it will be a tough challenge if they are to achieve the Premier League’s top spot on Saturday night.
Chelsea currently reside at the summit of the top flight but it could all change once more come the conclusion of the weekend’s matches.
Manchester City and Arsenal could, arguably, occupy the peerless position but Klopp believes there is no reason why The Reds can’t rise to the challenge.
That said, the Anfield coach has urged his players to arm themselves with no uncertain amount of caution against David Moyes’ Black Cats, who go into the game on the back of two straight wins.
And from those victories against Bournemouth and Hull, Klopp accepts the visitors have enjoyed an injection of renewed confidence.
Klopp said: “We saw the games and maybe they played better games than against Hull or Bournemouth, but they won the games”.
“That’s the most important thing, to get confidence, and they have it now. It’s our job to show from the first second as a big group, crowd involved, that we are different. Here it’s different”.
“Sunderland, if they win football games in the Premier League: well done, deserved, whatever. But not here. That’s what we have to show but that will not be easy — the exact opposite of easy. I really hope that my team is ready for it, and I hope that the whole crowd is ready for it too.”
Moyes’ men go into the clash with a 10-game winless run behind them before the two recent wins, and Klopp has reiterated that his charges must be focused for the contest.
He added: “Sunderland is a real challenge because it’s really hard already for you to ask about the Sunderland game because everything else seems to be more interesting. It’s like the points are already won and we couldn’t be further away from having the points already. We will not underestimate them, 100 per cent not”.
“If one person in the stadium would underestimate them, it would be the first mistake we could make. Everything is prepared for a good football game — if we do our job, which will be a difficult one”.
“Until now, the performances were good but the next challenge is already there and we have to do the good things again and the not-so-good things in a different way.”
