Andoni Iraola programme notes: 'We have to be ready and embrace what is ahead'

After three weeks without a game due to an extended international window, the Reds host City at Anfield in the Premier League.

The clash with Enzo Maresca’s table-toppers is the first of nine matches in 28 days across three competitions for Iraola’s charges.

“It is great to be back at Anfield after such a long gap, especially seeing as we return to such a big game against Manchester City,” the head coach writes in his matchday programme notes.

“This is my first involvement in this fixture but, like everyone who is interested in football, I know exactly what it means both in terms of the quality of the two teams and the rivalry that has built up over the years.

“We are playing against a City side which is top of the league having won all of the games they have played so far this season. So it is a very big challenge but it is also one that gives us an opportunity to test ourselves against a team which is doing so well and see where we are.

“It does seem like a long time ago now but we had another of these tests in our last fixture before the international break and we came through that positively with a very good win away to Bournemouth, so we will be looking to do the same today.

“For this to happen, we are going to have to perform at or very near to our best. This is the standard that we will need to reach and this is why I always say that the team is the most important thing.

“Everyone has to buy into that idea. I have to help the team and every individual has to help the team. If we can do that, every single person within the team will look better and our chances of getting a positive result will only increase.

“Of course, first we will have to see how everyone is after the international break. It is well known that we picked up a couple of fitness issues that we could have done without during that period, but by the time this game kicks off we will be as ready as we can be.

“This is a period in general in which all of us have to be ready because there are a lot of games in a short space of time. This means being ready to train, ready to recover and ready to play. There is no alternative so it makes sense that we face into it being aware of what lies ahead and prepared to embrace it.

“If you look at the table, our next four fixtures – including today’s – are against the teams who currently make up the top four in the Premier League and we have games in the Champions League and a Carabao Cup tie with Chelsea in between so, as I have said and will continue to repeat, we need to be ready.

“The big positive is that five of the seven games we will play in this spell are at Anfield, as we always prefer to play at home with the help of our supporters. We know the difference that this can make and we definitely felt that and took advantage of it in our last home game against Tottenham.

“That was a night that I think the supporters were able to enjoy and we followed it up with that really good away win at Bournemouth so I think it is clear that we showed some improvement before the international break.

“Now we need to pick up on that momentum and try to build on it again. As always, we will look to you for help. The more you can push us and the more you can get behind us, the better.”