Liverpool prepare for another crucial night under the lights, although the latest update from the away dressing room has shifted the tone around this meeting.
Sunderland have travelled to Anfield with a clean bill of health from the group who faced Bournemouth, according to Liverpoolfc.com, with Noah Sadiki passed fit after concern last weekend.
Regis Le Bris will still be without longer-term absentees Aji Alese and Habib Diarra, but the promoted side otherwise arrive at near full strength for the Premier League clash.
The French coach confirmed Leo Hjelde and Dennis Cirkin are continuing to build up fitness through U21 matches after returning from injuries.
The Black Cats manager, who is preparing to lose seven players to AFCON duty next month, insisted his side remain robust and competitive. “We have a strong group,” he said.
“We don’t have any [new] injuries and the players who haven’t played much before will have opportunities to play. I think they can contribute as well. The group is powerful with different options. We will see.”
He also stressed that his youthful side must not simply admire their surroundings.
“It’s another game in a really special place and atmosphere. Even if we have a young team, they now have good experiences and they want to be competitive.
“Otherwise, we become spectators. Liverpool are strong, but at the same time we want to be competitive.”
Sunderland team news adds edge before Liverpool clash
That earlier briefing highlighted how carefully the 47-year-old Dutchman must manage minutes across a squad playing four times in 10 days, and tonight represents another demanding fixture.
Sunderland’s strong availability, their comeback win against Bournemouth and the fact they took points off Arsenal, means this will not be a formality.
The Opta supercomputer still places us as heavy favourites, but it also highlighted how tight the Black Cats keep away matches, with only nine goals across their first six on the road.
Liverpool look for key response as potential threats highlighted
Chris Sutton is also predicting a narrow win for us while admitting he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the result went the other way though, referencing how capable Le Bris’ side have been this season.
That prediction followed his admission that he misjudged both us and Sunderland at the weekend, and his warning that the visitors could punish any Anfield anxiety.
We head into this evening aiming to build on the 2-0 win at West Ham, a performance that resembled the control our head coach has long demanded.
Another three points could lift us back towards the Champions League places, which would be some recovery after the difficult home run that preceded Sunday’s win.
Sunderland’s confidence is understandable, but our strong history against promoted sides under the lights should give us belief we can take another important step forward tonight.