Jurgen Klopp has played down Liverpool's hopes of playing Champions League football next season, despite Manchester United's loss to Brighton last night.
Alexis Mac Allister, a reported target for the Reds scored a last-gasp penalty to leave Liverpool four points behind Erik Ten Hag's side, with although the Red Devils have a game in hand.
Klopp's team have won five in a row, but the German cannot see either United or Newcastle United dropping enough points for the Reds to overtake them.
"I've said it before, other teams are in much better positions. As long as they win football games, we have no chance.
We have to keep teams behind us, which not all of them we can do on our own. If Brighton wins all their games until the end of the season, and with how they played last night, that's possible. Again, incredible performance to be honest. Really, really good football game.
That didn't change. We have 59? United has 63. We can get 71, maximum. For that, United needs eight points from five, from 15 points. I think they will do that to be honest. They win three games from the rest and that's it for us.
We have enough to do with ourselves. Tomorrow, Brentford. Oh my god, such a difficult game to play. How could I think of anything else besides that?
If our results put pressure on other teams, that's not in our hands as well. I said it now, the way they played over the year, the first four teams, nobody looks like losing from now on more games than they win. Never did that during the whole season, why should they now.
For us the plan is finishing the season as high as somehow possible. That is the plan since we started winning. It was before that as well but it didn't look that bright to be honest.
Now that could mean we could be fifth. Which is not a given yet. Sixth is not a given yet. They are all so good. Aston Villa, Tottenham of course, Brighton, definitely, and maybe Brentford as well. They all are fighting for that and so are we."
The German provided an update on the fitness of Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara.
"Diogo has his back issue, the bruised rib, he could train yesterday but he couldn't do a lot, to be honest. He was not really in danger of any kind of contact. We have to see there.
Bobby is not yet in team training, we hope that he can start next week with team training.
Hendo, we have to see. Yesterday he had a scan and we haven't had the results yet. It will not be a big thing but maybe it's enough to rule him out for tomorrow, I don't know that yet.
Thiago will have surgery and is out for the rest of the season. It's the same issue he was recently out for a couple of months with. Do I expect him to now be fit for pre-season? Yes, that's why we do it now."
He also confirmed that Naby Keita is not in contention to return to his squad yet.
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Milner/Mac Allister news
James Milner is reportedly set to join Brighton in the summer but Klopp pleaded with his vice-captain to stay at Anfield.
"Milly I can say, over the years and months that I had really good conversations with him.
He knows how highly I value him. He's an incredible part of this team and I would have loved to have work together with him even longer.
What exactly the outcome will be of his decision, I think Milly will say that at one point. I'm not sure if it happened already or not, I'm not really aware of that.
Nothing else to say from me but nothing will change. I've said it a couple of times, what happened over the past seven and a half years, all the positive things, none of it would happen without James Milner."
He also refused to comment on rumours that Mac Allister could be moving the other way, with reports claiming that the Reds have joined the race for the Argentine's signature.
"All others things, transfer-wise, you will be the first to be informed if something will happen, but before then, nothing really to say about it."
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National Anthem controversy
The game on Saturday coincides with the Coronation of King Charles III and the club will play the national anthem before the contest at the request of the Premier League, despite some fans objecting to the decision.
Speaking on that decision, the German said:
"The club's position is my position. That's clear. Besides that, this is definitely a subject which I cannot really have a proper opinion about it. I'm from Germany. We don't have a King or a Queen.
I'm 55 years old. I really have no experience with that. Watching from the outside, it is a nice thing to watch. All the weddings are massive things in Germany, but nobody really knows what it is like, watching a movie or in a newspaper because we don't feel that.
I'm pretty sure a lot of people in this country will enjoy the coronation. Some will maybe not really be interested and some will not like it. That's it, that's over the country. I think that's all I can say about it. The rest is my position is the club's position."