Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was in good spirits at the AXA Training Centre on Friday morning ahead of the Reds hosting Manchester United on Sunday.
The two Premier League heavyweights will face off at Anfield, with Liverpool looking to bridge the gap between themselves and Tottenham Hotspur who currently occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification place.
Meanwhile, Erik Ten Hag's side, fresh from securing League Cup glory at Wembley last weekend, will look to strengthen their credentials as a force to be reckoned with in the final months of the season, with a strong start to 2023 having them well-placed to capitalise on any potential slip-up from Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table.
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But after watching his side secure a much-needed three points against Wolverhampton Wanderers less than 48 hours ago, and earning a fourth consecutive Premier League clean sheet in the process, Klopp displayed little signs of feeling the heat ahead of Sunday's mammoth clash on Merseyside.
Here are some of the moments you might have missed...
No Injury concerns
Straight off the bat at the AXA Training Centre, Klopp was quick to alleviate fears as he confirmed Liverpool had suffered no new injury setbacks during the success over Wolves on Wednesday.
Darwin Nunez and Ibrahima Konate both started the 2-0 victory at Anfield after their recent absence from the side with respective shoulder and hamstring issues. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota continued to add valuable minutes to his resume as followed up his outing at Crystal Palace with consecutive starts for the first time since October. Naby Keita was absent from the victory due to a minor knock.
When asked about the current state of his squad, although the Reds boss admitted he had not seen his player this morning, he said: "Physically we should be fine. Mentally fine. So yes, nothing to moan about."
Klopp added: "No new injury updates. Yesterday evening they were all fine. Joe Gomez is closer, but not close enough."
Gomez has not featured since departing the field in the 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid last month with a hamstring issue, while Arthur Melo, Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz continue to step up their recovery ahead of a potential return after the March international break.
Youngster Calvin Ramsay is the Reds' only long-term absentee and will miss the rest of the season after undoing surgery in February.
Fabinho performance earns a new nickname
Since Liverpool's trophy-sweeping era began when they lifted the Champions League in the summer of 2019, Fabinho has arguably been the Reds' most important figure.
However, the last 12 months or so have without a doubt been the toughest of the Brazilian's career on Merseyside and started when he was rushed back from a serious hamstring injury to feature against Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final.
But on Wednesday night, the midfielder showed signs of returning to his previous best as he dominated Julen Lopetegui's side in the centre of the park despite picking up a bizarre booking shortly after the interval.
Such was the impressive nature of his outing, the Liverpool manager was quick to laud Fabinho with a new nickname when asked about his performance. He has been referred to as 'the Lighthouse' before, but now has an extra tag to go alongside it.
"Everyone could see he wasn't at his best," said Klopp. "Now everyone sees he is getting better. I was so happy about his last game. It's how we need him and how we used to have him.
"The Lighthouse! The Hoover! We took it for granted."
Rashford appreciation
One player Liverpool will need to be alert to if they are to defeat their old foes this weekend will be Marcus Rashford.
The England and Manchester United forward has been in the form of his life since returning from the World Cup in Qatar and has since scored 17 goals for Ten Hag's side.
While those strikes have helped Man United defeat Manchester City, Barcelona and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final in recent weeks, it's fair to say Klopp will have taken little joy in watching the incredible exploits of the 25-year-old from his AXA Training Centre office.
However, the Liverpool boss admitted while he finds it hard to enjoy anything remotely positive about the Old Trafford club, the form of United's No.10 is something he can tolerate, telling reporters: "I must say it's difficult, pretty much impossible, to be happy about something positive at Manchester United when you are the manager of Liverpool, but I am happy for Rashford."
Apart from Sunday though, Jurgen.
Five million and one reasons to win
While, of course, Liverpool will want to continue their rise up the Premier League table and make it five league games unbeaten - that might not be the sole reason behind Klopp's craving to get one over on Ten Hag's side this weekend.
That's because the Reds boss admitted his life is made a lot easier when he is made to face members of the media pack after his side have secured all three points, something that has perhaps been taken for granted on Merseyside in recent seasons.
And on Friday morning, the German pulled no punches in a tongue-in-cheek manner as he revealed he dreads facing the press after a defeat.
"It's much better to sit here and face your questions when you won the last game," joked Klopp. "That's my first motivation! That's why I want to win so when we have a press conference after I don't have to answer average, rubbish questions.
"I will tell the boys they can make my life a little bit easier but on top of that, we have five million reasons why we want to win. When we lose a game and I have to go out and make seven interviews I tell them [the boys] 'thank you very much!'"
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