Jurgen Klopp acknowledges Liverpool cannot afford to "be picky" after a slow start in the Premier League, meaning they are ready to fight again against a Tottenham side he never relishes facing.
Liverpool head into the weekend in ninth place, 15 points behind leaders Arsenal, 13 shy of champions Manchester City and 10 off opponents Spurs, who are third.
The Reds have lost their past two league matches to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, both of whom were in the bottom three heading into those games.
For that reason, Klopp cannot write off a meeting with "a confident, strong opponent" at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
"It's a big game for us, a massive game for us – difficult as well, Spurs away," he said.
"I didn't count the points distance between us and them, but we cannot be picky with opponents and games where we want to get points. We have to go for it, definitely, but it's difficult."
Klopp is aware of the scrutiny around his every word while Liverpool are struggling, but he insists there is no alternative to talking up the "fighting" mood required to rescue their season.
That attitude will be needed again in a fixture of which Klopp has never been "1,000 per cent convinced", even if Tottenham are winless in nine in the league against Liverpool going back to 2017.
A positive, the manager accepted, is the way Liverpool have risen to the challenge of facing elite opposition this season, advancing in the Champions League and beating Napoli in midweek.
"To explain wins is really easy, because nobody listens really," the manager said. "Everybody is in a great mood, you're just smiling and 'it's in good shape'.
"When you lose, it's much more difficult; now, each word is really important. But I don't have five million different words for it.
"If you want to get out of something, you first have to get through it. That's where we are.
"It might take time, but it's not that we say now Tottenham is too early for us to really show up already. No, it's not; we go there and want to be at our best, 100 per cent.
"But sitting here now, being 1,000 per cent convinced 'yes, we will'? What I can tell you: it never was [easy] before going to Tottenham. I never thought 'good moment to face Tottenham; let's smash them'. That was never the case.
"It's a difficult place to go, a really good team, extremely well coached, and a real fighting unit. There are no friendly games against them. Antonio's on his toes on the sidelines, the players are in challenges, all these kinds of things, so it will be a tough one.
"But that's actually what we all want; it's like a Champions League game in the Premier League. That's how we will approach it.
"I can imagine in a phase like this it takes a bit longer [talking about defeats]. 'Always the same: fighting, doing this, oh, again' – these kinds of things.
"Sorry. Without fighting, we shouldn't even try. Yes, we have to fight through this; that's the case, that's how it is.
"You cannot play through it, you cannot say now to forget the defending stuff, 'let's just circle around them, pass the ball through them, nutmegs here, backheels there'. That's not how it works. That's why we're in the mood we are. It's absolutely okay.
"It's rather good that in between... you lose against Leeds, and I couldn't have felt worse, no chance, but then you play a good game against a team in form, and it gives you a lift. That's normal. Here we go.
"Now, we play against Tottenham and try to feel like we did after the Napoli game."
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Salah: There will be 'fire' if I speak after Klopp clash
Mohamed Salah refused to talk to the media following a touchline clash with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, saying there would be "fire" if he spoke.
Liverpool's Premier League title hopes are hanging by a thread following a 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday, and much of the discussion after the game centered on a flare-up between Salah and Klopp in the latter stages of the contest.
Salah, dropped from the starting XI for the visit to the London Stadium, was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp prior to being substituted on, with the pair having to be separated by Joe Gomez and Darwin Nunez.
Following the game, Salah made a comment as he walked through the media area, refusing to conduct interviews with the press.
"If I speak today there will be fire," Salah stated as he refused to discuss the incident.
Klopp was also not very forthcoming on the confrontation after a draw which leaves his team two points off leaders Arsenal and a point behind second-placed Manchester City having played at least a game less than both of their title rivals.
When asked about the Salah dispute, Klopp told TNT Sports: "I'm not in the mood to talk about that to be honest or look at that at all."
Klopp has just three games left of his Liverpool tenure, and despite the success he has endured at Anfield, including a Premier League title and Champions League glory, it's at risk of ending in a damp squib.
Klopp hopes his team can avoid that disappointing conclusion by finding their form again over the remainder of the campaign.
"We had to win here, we knew that, and we didn't," Klopp continued. "Now we have a little bit more time between now and the next game.
"We try to get the boys ready again and we will go again."
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