Sunderland boss David Moyes met with various members of the press today to discuss tomorrow's Premier League fixture against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, with the Black Cats going into the game as huge underdogs with the Reds topping the table.
Wearsiders happy to take anything away from Anfield
Back-to-back wins in their last two games has given Sunderland the confidence boost that they so desperately needed, but despite that Moyes is under no illusions as to how tough the match is going to be.
"Anybody who plays against Liverpool has to park the double-decker bus" said Moyes, who did go on to add that his side "have two centre forwards scoring goals" in Jermain Defoe and Victor Anichebe, so spectators should not rule out a shock win for the Wearsiders if the two are on top form.
The Scotsman said that his aim is to "go there and make it difficult for Liverpool", drawing on the fact that his Everton side were able to get several draws at Anfield in Merseyside derbies gone by despite being written off by many much like his Sunderland side have been.
Speaking about the form of free signing Anichebe, Moyes insisted that expectations must be managed as "he's not a £20million centre-forward" and that fans must accept that "there will be games when he is on top form and games when he is not."
Moyes was happy to stress that he has "been really pleased with him and Jermain" thanks to their recent match-winning form, and added that the latter's record "speaks for itself with his goals."
Moyes hopes to see midfield duo back in the near future
There are still a few injuries that Sunderland must contend with for the time being, with Jan Kirchhoff, Sebastian Larsson and Fabio Borini all getting closer to a return before the year is out whilst Lee Cattermole remains a long-term absentee.
"It's slow going" said Moyes, who addded that Kirchhoff has "struggled to train" since he and Larsson took part in an U23's match against Manchester United this week, in which they both found the net.
The Sunderland boss added that he "could do with [Kirchhoff] back because we are really short of midfield players", but that due to the German's long injury lay-off he "wouldn’t be able to do himself justice at the moment."
The news is more positive for Larsson however, with the Swede touted as "far, far, closer" to a return than Kirchhoff. Moyes said that Larsson "will travel with the squad" for tomorrow's match, but will not be rushed into the starting XI as he has only just began playing matches for the U23's recently and is "not up to match speed" just yet.
When asked about a timescale on the return of Borini, Moyes said that he "couldn't put an exact timescale on it", but that he hopes to see the Italian involved in the squad again in the next "two to three weeks."
Sunderland's match against Liverpool will kick-off at 3PM tomorrow afternoon, as they hope to spring a surprise against Klopp's table toppers and close the gap on the teams outside of the relegation zone.