Jurgen Klopp has bullishly quashed the prospect of his players letting their eyes deviate from the task at hand on Saturday.
Anfield will play stage to the latest opportunity for the Reds to take a meaningful stride towards a top four finish with a win over Stoke City.
Liverpool enter the contest on the back of Tuesday’s frenetic 5-2 win over Roma, with concerns regarding their focus on Stoke stemming from an inevitable look towards next week’s Champions League semi-final second-leg at the Stadio Olimipico.
Klopp has insisted there must be no let up from his players, with European qualification within reach.
Writing in his pre-match column for ‘This is Anfield’, Klopp said: “My players have no excuses today,” per Liverpoolfc.com.
“In fairness to them they don’t need telling this, they already know it. The players know today is the most important game of our season.”
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“The players know this is a really difficult task against a high-quality opponent fighting for everything. But the players also know they have to deliver – end of story.”
“The game before this one and the game after are completely irrelevant to us in this moment.”
Liverpool currently sit three points ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham and eight points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea, both of which have a game in hand.
Two more wins will likely seal the Reds’ spot in Europe next season, with next weekend’s trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge looming as a possible decider.
It isn’t in Klopp’s nature to allow complacency within his squad and his players have displayed no signs this season of taking any opponent for granted.
The game arrives as an ideal chance for less regular starters to make an impression, which in itself could prove key in setting the tone for an absolute dedication to overcoming a Stoke side fighting for their lives.