Steven Gerrard goes head-to-head with Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday night when Aston Villa welcome Liverpool to Villa Park.
The Villa head coach was quizzed on facing his former side when he gave his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.
Here’s what he had to say…
On team news…
“With injuries, we’re the same as we were. JJ won’t make it. He’s got a decent chance for the weekend, but Liverpool’s come too soon, which is disappointing.
“I’m sure he would have been desperate to challenge himself against Liverpool.
“The squad will be very similar to what it was against Burnley.”
On recent results...
“I know where the team’s at and I know that we’re capable of winning football matches. I know we’re capable of going on runs to recover situations – we did it when we initially came in.
“We didn’t get too carried away when we were winning games on the spin, and at the same time, when you go on a tough run and suffer a few bumps it’s important to stick together and have belief in your players.
“It was tough – no one wants to lose four matches, but I had confidence that with the fixtures we had coming up we could put it right and recover our situation.
“The players have been outstanding in the last three games – not just with the results but the performances as well.”
On the prospect of a top ten finish…
“It would be a satisfactory end to the season considering where we were when we took the job – 16th in the league and a couple of points above relegation.
“The first remit was to move the team into a safe place, first and foremost. Now we’re in a place with four games left where there’s a possibility to finish in the top ten and I think that would be a huge positive considering the club hasn’t done it for a decade.
“That would give us a positive base to go and have a real strong pre-season from.”
On playing Liverpool…
“They’re a world-class team. Arguably, the best team in the world right now. We’re well aware of the challenge.
“I’ve spoken many times about how I respect the coach and the coaching staff there. You either fear that or you put your shoulders back and try and take it on and find situations where you can have your moments in the game.
“Every team on the planet, historically or now, there’s always areas or situations that happen in a game where you can hurt them.
“We’re well aware of the size of the challenge tomorrow, but it’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it. Big games of football are what it’s all about.”
