According to Loris Karius, Liverpool must grab the opportunity to establish a 10-point lead in the Premier League top-four on Saturday.
The international break is finally over and the Liverpool players are back to the club with Premier League football set to resume. The Reds are the first team in action this weekend as we face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park today.
A win at Palace would see Jurgen Klopp’s men move 10 points clear of 5th-placed Chelsea, who host fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the London derby on Sunday.
“It would give us [a] 10-point [lead], which is a good thing. It can’t be negative, a good result can only be positive,” Karius was quoted by Liverpoolfc.com.
“And of course it is also a little boost for the Manchester City game [in the Champions League]. But right now everyone is thinking about Crystal Palace. 10 points sounds good – so let’s do it.”
While Liverpool remain fully focused on getting a positive result at Selhurst Park, they will also be wary that Champions League football returns next week. The Reds face Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first-leg slated to take place at Anfield on Wednesday.
The return leg at Etihad takes place six days later, with a Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park sandwiched in between.
“If you look at the Champions League, it’s all or nothing in the next two weeks,” added Karius.
“If you look at the Premier League, we have to get the results every week until the middle of May, not just these two weeks. There are two very important games in the Premier League. You have to win almost every week to stay up there – that’s what the [other] teams do.
“So it’s a big two weeks, but that’s what you play for so it’s exciting.”
Karius spent a couple of years at City as a youngster. Liverpoolfc.com claims that the German decided to move to Mainz after sensing that his opportunities will be limited in Manchester due to the presence of experienced professionals. His sparkling displays between the sticks in the Bundesliga saw Liverpool sign him in 2016.
“It was the right decision for me to leave,” Liverpool’s no.1 explained.
“It was great for me to train with great players every day as a young player, and to work with Joe Hart back then; he was a great guy and a great role model.
“It was the right decision for me to go there but also to leave at the right time. At the time I left, it was good for me to play first-team football in Germany and then go to a big club like Liverpool again, so it all worked out.”
The confident Karius arrived at Liverpool in 2016, carrying lofty expectations. However, after a season full of inconsistent and substandard displays, the German has finally seen an extended run of games since the start of 2018, establishing himself as the club’s No.1 between the sticks.
The 24-year-old has usurped Simon Mignolet as Klopp’s No.1 since the turn of the year, playing 12 of the last 13 games for the Merseysiders. Let’s hope Karius continues to repay our gaffer’s faith.
