Jurgen Klopp has dismissed the suggestion that Liverpool have the most favourable run-in of the Premier League title contenders.
Liverpool returned to the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Sheffield United on Thursday evening, with the Reds two points ahead of Arsenal and three clear of Manchester City.
Klopp’s side will be crowned champions for a record-equalling 20th time if they win their remaining eight games, though first face a tough test at Manchester United this weekend.
The German is focused only on Sunday’s showdown at Old Trafford and refuted suggestions that his side have, on paper, the best fixtures across the run-in.
“That’s how it is in the Premier League. When we won it, it was decided pretty early but most of the time it is a tight race,” he said at his pre-match press conference.
“If it is, then the best thing you can do is be in it. We are, that’s good, so we keep fighting.
“The next one is a big one, like they all are. Someone said we have the best fixture list [in the run-in] but I don’t know how you can have that idea. It will be a tough one but we are ready. We want to be in that fight.”
Liverpool will be looking to exact revenge on Manchester United for their FA Cup exit last month, as the Merseysiders lost 4-3 in extra time.
Klopp believes his team performed well in that encounter, despite losing leads in normal and extra time to crash out of the cup.
“We were really good that day but we didn’t finish the situations off. The good news is that we don’t have 30 minutes more to play. That was not good for us. United turned the game around.
“They are a top side playing at home. Let’s do what we did on minute 15 until 70-something. We will try to cause United problems and they will try exactly the same. I will miss probably all of them (when he steps down in the summer) but we will see how I deal with missing football.”
