Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino is firmly focused on three points in this Sunday's clash against Tottenham Hotspur, rather than see it as a chance for revenge for their heavy defeat in the reverse contest back in October.

Jürgen Klopp recently described the Reds' 4-1 Wembley loss to Spurs as their poorest performance of the season so far, with Harry Kane netting a brace and Dejan Lovren being substituted after only 30 minutes.

The defeat in the capital set Liverpool on their way to an 18-game unbeaten run that also saw them beat run-away league leaders Manchester City, becoming the first team to beat City domestically this term.

However, the Reds' most emphatic win of the season was quickly overshadowed by back-to-back defeats to relegation threatened Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion that also saw Liverpool eliminated from yet another competition - the FA Cup.

The defeat was the wake-up call Klopp's side needed and the media asked Firmino if come Sunday whether there would be any thoughts of revenge for their defeat the last time these two sides met.

"No", Firmino replied. "We lost that game in October against them and we all played very badly, the whole team. We deserved to lose that day. The next game is another game."

The Brazilian forward insisted "there is no vengeance or additional rivalry" just because they were so emphatically thrashed last time the two teams met, adding: "They are a big team and we will do our best to try and beat them."

"It'll be two very strong teams"

Since the October defeat, the Reds have lost just two games of 21 in all competitions and have leapfrogged the Londoners in the league table. They currently sit two points ahead of last seasons runners-up.

A win for Liverpool could open up a five-point gap from Mauricio Pochettino’s side and give them some comfortable lee-way in terms of securing a top-four finish, with 13 games to go until the season's end.

However, a first Anfield win since 2011 for Spurs would see them move ahead of Liverpool in the table by a point - making the clash a huge encounter for both sides.

Firmino added: "To us, this game is a classic. In Brazil, we call this type of game a ‘six-point game’. We will try to be focused during the 90 minutes to try and achieve the win. That’s our aim."

Tottenham come to Merseyside off the back of an emphatic 2-0 victory against Manchester United which included one of the quickest goals in top-flight history, when Christian Eriksen netted after only 11 seconds.

"I follow the games of Tottenham and they have a very good team," Firmino continued, suggesting that Liverpool "know everything about their potential."

Yet he warned Spurs: "At home we are very strong. It’ll be two very strong teams."

Firmino revealed that he watched Tottenham's win over United, insisting they "played very well" and added: "But we are also a very strong team and we are going to give our best during the 90 minutes to achieve a win. That's what we'll be trying to do."

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About the author
Joshua Kerr
Third-year Sports Journalism student at Staffordshire University, contributing to Vavel UK since April 2017.