Brendan Rodgers will be desperate to get one over his former team when Liverpool host Swansea in the weekend's only English Premier League game.
Liverpool are currently a massive 12 points behind Tottenham, who occupy the last Champions League spot, and while Brendan Rodgers would have loved to have been right up there in contention, he admitted a top-four finish was now looking unlikely with just 12 games remaining in the season.
"Being a realist, it's going to be very difficult," Rodgers admitted. "You never lose your optimism and I'm always optimistic but it's going to be a huge task.
"The reality is that losing the game on Monday night makes it very difficult. It means we can still do it but we have to pick up a win somewhere else when maybe we were looking at our home games in particular as games to build on our good form at home and try to get some results away. In short, it will be difficult."
Liverpool just returned from a long trip to Russia to face Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League, and Rodgers is concerned about the toll it will take on his players having to play another game after just three days.
"I may need to freshen the team up a wee bit," Rodgers said. "But we'll arrive into it with the same ambitions and drive and determination to get a result.
"We had a similar thing earlier on in the season where we went away to Udinese -- which was a tough trip -- and had a decent performance, came back and were away to West Ham and won the game.
"Thankfully we don't have to travel away and the players will really be up for the game at the weekend and looking to get a good result."
Rodgers will be a little extra motivated for a victory at Anfield Sunday, as he faces his former side Swansea, which he left for Liverpool last summer.
"No matter who it is, I always want to win," he added. "We had a good game in the league at the Liberty Stadium, which I know is a difficult place to go.
"We'll be looking for the same this weekend. I've only got happy memories and I want to wish them well because they're a terrific club, but I'm the manager here at Liverpool and I'm desperate for us to succeed. Whoever we play, no matter who, I'll always want to win."
Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho are available, after they were ineligible for the Europa League game, while Daniel Agger also returns to the lineup after being rested.
Swansea defender Chico Flores is ruled out after rupturing his ankle ligaments in the game against Queens Park Rangers last weekend, while Leon Britton is expected to return from an ankle problem.
To watch Liverpool vs Swansea Live Stream, click here.
Expected lineups: Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Lucas, Henderson, Gerrard; Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez.
Swansea: Vorm; Rangel, Bartley, Williams, Davies; Britton, Ki; Hernandez, De Guzman, Routledge; Michu.
Prediction: 2-1 to Liverpool
