Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp says any team wanting to win the Premier League this season will have to perform at their very best.

The Reds boss, whose side are 11/4 to claim a second title in three seasons, has seen his charges go unbeaten in their first nine league fixtures - winning six and drawing three to lie in second place in the table heading into the weekend action.

Klopp expects title tussle

However, the German feels it is far too early to make any predictions for the coming months, although he does accept that nothing short of their very best will be enough for the Merseysiders to come out on top of the pile.

He told reporters at his press conference ahead of Saturday's visit from Brighton: "Yeah, but that's pretty much the case for all of us, not only us.

"This is just the standard of the league and to be - not now at the end of October, but in March, April or May - in that area of the table, that means you have to perform on an incredibly high level and be incredibly consistent.

"We had a good start so far, but obviously other teams had good starts as well."

Meanwhile, Klopp confirmed that Naby Keita could feature against the Seagulls after recovering from the injury sustained in the 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford last Sunday.

However, fellow midfielders Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara both miss out, although the latter is close to a return to action after calf problems.

Klopp was less upbeat about the prognosis of when Fabinho might return from a knee injury which has seen him sit out the wins against United and Preston North End, in the EFL Cup.

He added: "With Fabinho it doesn't look that good, it's a bit more complicated. Not too complicated, but complicated enough to keep him out again.

"I still wait for news, but he was not in team training yet and that is never a good sign."

bet365 News Team

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