NewsFlorian Wirtz interview: Sunderland aim, Ekitike link-up, adaptation and more
The Reds travel to the Stadium of Light for an 8.15pm GMT kick-off in the Premier League.
Arne Slot's side seek to put Sunday's late home defeat against Manchester City behind them when they take on Regis Le Bris' outfit on Wearside.
Wirtz - who was named the team's Standard Chartered Player of the Month for January - is hopeful lessons can be used from the weekend moving forward.
"I think we can take a few things from the City game for the rest of the season," Wirtz told Liverpoolfc.com.
"I think in the end, [it's] my personal opinion and maybe also a few others agree with me, it's that we didn't deserve to lose because we made a good game. Of course, in the first half we didn't have that much control, but we also didn't concede a lot of chances against us.
"I think we made a quite good game, [won] a lot of duels, especially the second half was good from us. We put pressure on a top team, and I think that we can see that we are in the same [level] and that we compete with top teams.
"That's what we can take from the game and also [it] gives us [confidence] for the rest of the season [that] we know that we can hurt every team. Against Sunderland it's not an easy game now, but we just try to give everything again.
"We know it's going to be physical, so we just try to bring 100 per cent on the pitch until the last minute and take hopefully the three points home."
Read on for the rest of the interview with the No.7, as he discusses tonight's fixture and other topics…
On his growing on-pitch relationship with Hugo Ekitike...
Yeah, I said it often already that it's really a joy to play with him. We have so many good players in the team. You can see that he's one of the guys you like to watch. Even for me, I like to see him on the pitch and in training. It's just fun to combine with him, he gives me a lot of assists already and I just try to help him also to achieve his goals. He's a good friend of mine. We are very close. So yeah, it's just fun to play with him.
On what his biggest adaptations have been to the Premier League...
I think now I'm already in a better position than I was at the start because I think I got a bit stronger. I spent a lot of time in the gym! But it's also the duels on the pitch and also in training and the extra work after training is helping me. It helps me also for the games, especially the Premier League games. I just want to continue to get better and stronger and more powerful. That can only help to be even better.
On whether he is relishing the physical challenge of the Premier League...
It's also nice to play this kind of football [that is] intense because I can run, I can fight and I like to bring that on the pitch. It just took me a little time to get where I am now, but I don't want to stop there.
On facing Sunderland and taking on some former teammates...
Yeah, I know two players of them very well, because I played with them in Leverkusen - [Granit] Xhaka and [Nordi] Mukiele - so I'm happy to see them again. But of course, it's not because I want to see them, I want to take the three points. That's the task for us. We just try everything to get the three points and everything else doesn't matter.