No sweat for Reds on title D-day

LONDON • Liverpool may have a historic quadruple in their sights, but manager Jurgen Klopp insisted that pressure is not a factor as his side prepare to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the Premier League season.

The Reds, who have already won the domestic Cup double, must beat Wolves at home today and hope leaders Manchester City falter against Aston Villa to secure the league title.

"I cannot talk about pressure for the other team, but for us there is no pressure," said Klopp, whose team will also contest the Champions League final against Real Madrid in a week's time.

"We know that we have to win the football game but we've had that now for a while. It's not about 'What if'. We don't have that...

"For us, it is pretty positive, it's so special. And if you have something to lose it feels different, but we don't have that."

Liverpool were beaten to the title by City on the last day of the 2018-19 season. Klopp said they would continue to make life difficult for Pep Guardiola's side even in the case of a repeat today.

"The biggest defeats in my life have led to the biggest successes in my life, wherever I was," he added.

"Whatever happens on Sunday, we will not stop. We will not stop trying. Yes, we have the best opponent in world football, which is a bit of a shame, but they have us in their neck, which is not too cool as well. So let's see."

Klopp also said he would like to call upon Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho for the crunch clash against Wolves but added that he was unsure if they would be fit in time.

Salah and van Dijk missed the midweek win at Southampton due to injuries suffered in last week's FA Cup final against Chelsea while Fabinho suffered a muscle problem against Villa this month.

"It looks good but the boys make steps and we will see," said Klopp.

"My preferred solution would be that they all could play at the weekend for rhythm reasons... but if not, then we take it from there. I cannot say 100 per cent."

Salah leads the Golden Boot race with 22 goals, one more than Tottenham forward Son Heung-min who will come up against relegated Norwich City today.

The Egyptian forward believes that the Reds are staying positive in their chase for the unprecedented quadruple.

"I wish City lose or draw, and we can win the league," Salah said. "We talk to each other (as a team), and everyone is excited.

"This situation happened two years ago, and they won the league. We are all optimistic, we must win today, then we see what happens."

Wolves manager Bruno Lage, who will be without the injured Romain Saiss, Max Kilman and Nelson Semedo, has praised both Liverpool and City as "the best teams in the world".

He said: "It's a pleasure to watch them play and it's a pleasure to watch these two teams fight until the end for the championship.

"What Man City and Liverpool are doing in every competition, the levels are so high. They are the best teams in the competition and maybe the best teams in the world.

"We are excited to be involved in this situation and for us it's another good moment to play against a strong team."

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE