Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson hopes the Reds can go into the World Cup on a high with a win against Southampton after enduring a "testing period".
Jurgen KIopp's side haven't yet matched pre-season expectations after a difficult start to the campaign. Going into the final game before the break, the Reds sit seven points off the top four.
Henderson, who was selected in Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for England, has already demanded that they continue their positive run after wins over Napoli and Tottenham Hotspur.
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“I know the domestic campaign is interrupted by the World Cup after this weekend’s fixtures and some of us will have a big job on with our countries, but when the season does resume late next month, we have to be ready to pick up where we left off," he said in his programme notes via Liverpool's official website.
“The best way we can put ourselves in a good position to do that would definitely be by getting another positive result today. This has been a testing period for us, there is no question about that. Individually and collectively, I think we can all look back on it with a sense that we could and should have done better.
“Yes, there have been challenges that have been out of our control, but a big part of being a player for this club is coping with these kinds of issues and finding a way – just as we have done over the last couple of weeks."
Liverpool have been dealt multiple injury blows in recent months as Joel Matip and Diogo Jota were sidelined for extended periods. Ibrahima Konate has recently returned to the fold after recovering from his injury that he suffered in pre-season.
There have been problems in the midfield with Henderson, James Milner, Thiago and Naby Keita all suffering from time away from the starting 11.
But the Reds skipper is pleased with the character of the squad to come away with wins in the last three. He continued: “In their own different ways, our matches against Napoli, Tottenham and Derby County were all difficult games, but we came through all of them, and this says a lot about how we have addressed the situation we were in beforehand.
“All three of these were tricky fixtures, particularly on the back of a run of form that definitely wasn’t our best, so I’m really pleased that we came through each of them, particularly with so many different players having been involved.”
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