Premier League: Cardiff City test for buoyant Liverpool

Liverpool will go into the fixture on a five-match winning streak in the Premier League.

Published : Apr 20, 2019 21:21 IST , Cardiff

On a high after reaching the semifinals of the Champions League, Liverpool takes relegation-threatened Cardiff City needing a win to retake top spot in the Premier League after Manchester City moved to the summit with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

With Mohamed Salah back among the goals — the Egyptian forward has scored in each of his team's last two league fixtures after failing to score in his previous eight appearances — and Virgil van Dijk marshalling the defence, Liverpool is on a five-match winning streak that it will look to extend against Neil Warnock's men.

Cardiff, which has 31 points from 34 matches, might need at least three wins from the four remaining matches to retain its top-flight status. It gave a good account of itself against Chelsea at home on March 31 and was close to securing all three points before Eden Hazard sparked a turnaround for the London club. It beat Brighton and Hove Albion in its previous fixture and it can go level on points with Chris Hughton's side if it beats title-chasing Liverpool on Sunday.

In his pre-match press conference, Warnock stressed that Cardiff must ensure it doesn't suffer a big defeat. "We just want to give a good performance and not get a battering really."

Klopp was keen to get his players to refocus and stay in the present after drawing Barcelona in the Champions League last-four. "These are all massive games. None of them are won before we start," he said, before adding "Everybody thinks a lot about Barcelona but before Barcelona, it's Cardiff and Huddersfield."

Team news

Harry Arter has been ruled out of the fixture with a calf strain, while midfielder Aron Gunnarsson faces a late fitness test after suffering back spasm.

Dejan Lovren missed Liverpool's trip to FC Porto on Wednesday due to illness but is likely to be fit for Sunday's visit of Cardiff.

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