Simon Mignolet confident Liverpool would cope with demands of Champions League football next season
Jurgen Klopp’s men can guarantee their place in Europe’s elite competition with a win against Middlesbrough on the final day of the season
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Your support makes all the difference.Simon Mignolet is confident Liverpool can cope with the demands of Champions League football should the side secure a top-four spot on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s men can guarantee their place in Europe’s elite competition with a win against Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. This would be the first time since the 2013/14 that the club has finished in the top four.
Although Mignolet admitted that the absence of European football helps retain freshness within a side, the Belgian was confident Liverpool can compete on both fronts next season.
"The Premier League is obviously a tough league and you need the energy to play week in, week out, but I think we have the squad to do that, so it doesn't mean that if you're in the Champions League you can't fight for the Premier League title,” he said. “Those two things can be combined.
"It's clear that it helps if you don't play in Europe, and you can focus yourself week in, week out, on the Premier League, freshen players up and play with the same squad every week.
"If you see how Leicester played last year, they played nearly every game with the same team. I think Chelsea are one of the sides with the least changes.
"These things obviously help, it's a demanding league, and everyone wants to play in it. But it is important because I think Liverpool's history shows they are fighting in the top of the Premier League and in Europe."
Mignolet has played a crucial role in Liverpool’s fight for the top-four, having kept a clean sheet in four of the side’s last five games.
Looking ahead to Sunday, the 29-year-old insisted everyone was “very hungry” to return to the Champions League.
"We've got the chance of getting in the Champions League, and everybody is very hungry for this in the dressing room,” he said. “Everybody wants to fight at the top stage.
"This year, particularly in the last few months, we learned to play against clubs that sit and defend, and play on the counter attack."
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