Programme notesArne Slot: We can't dwell, we have to finish as strongly as possible

Liverpool return to Premier League football by hosting the Londoners in a 4.30pm GMT kick-off at Anfield.

The Reds are targeting a response to defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the top flight and the Champions League loss away versus Galatasaray in midweek.

“After today’s game we will have only eight league matches left to play, which serves to underline that we are now entering the home straight,” writes head coach Slot in the official matchday programme.

“While some of our objectives might have changed since the start of the season, the basic requirement of finishing as high as we can in the league table remains.

“The key to this, of course, is to win as many games as possible and then we will see where it takes us. There is no point dwelling on what might have been or getting drawn into what might have been different, our total focus has to be on reaching the finishing line as strongly as possible.

“Going into this weekend we are sixth in the table, which is not where we want to be and also not where we want to end up. The aim has to be to go higher so that we can push ourselves into the Champions League qualification places and hopefully stay there.

“That particular race is going to be highly contested – as it should be – with a number of teams having the same aim going into the final months. Again, our focus should not be on what they are doing. It should only be on what we are doing. After all, it is our results and performances that will dictate our outcome.

“Today, this means taking on a Tottenham team which has its own reasons for needing a strong finish to the campaign. For someone like me who always followed English football from a distance before coming to this country, it is strange seeing them in their current situation and this is one of the reasons why I do not expect it to last.

“At the same time, their circumstances mean they will arrive at Anfield not just as a wounded animal, but also as a team which knows it has to scrap for survival and which has a point to prove. This makes them a dangerous opponent regardless of recent results or league position and we will treat them as such.

“We also know that we need a response of our own having narrowly lost our last game away to Galatasaray. While we have the opportunity to overturn that result at Anfield on Wednesday night, the best way to go into the second leg would definitely be on the back of a positive result against Tottenham.

“Looking back to midweek, one of the big positives – again – was the support we received from our away fans. Twice this season we have been to Turkiye, twice we have been unfortunate to lose and twice the backing we have received has been phenomenal, particularly given the passionate atmosphere that was created by the Galatasaray fans.

“Because of this I will never get tired of saying that while we always need this kind of support, we can never and will never take it for granted. Knowing that so many of you are willing to go to such great lengths to travel, to be away from home and from work and loved ones in order to back Liverpool can only ever be a huge motivation.

“Today will be no different. A full Anfield always brings opportunity and this is another chance for us to deliver so it is up to us to do so.

“We should believe in ourselves and in one another because if we do that our chances of getting the result we are looking for and taking a step towards our objectives for the rest of this season can only be enhanced.”

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