Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for Sunderland ahead of the Black Cats’ trip to Anfield.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager believes the Lads were unlucky during the early stages of the campaign, explaining that David Moyes’ side will pose a big test following back-to-back Premier League wins.
Klopp also pinpointed the threat posed by Jermain Defoe and Victor Anichebe, hailing the partnership forged by the duo in recent weeks.
And speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Reds boss warned against underestimating the Black Cats.
“We won’t underestimate them, if one person does in the stadium, it’s the first mistake we make.
“We’ve watched a lot their games in the last week, and you can see that even when they lost the games at the beginning of the season it was never a clear result – really unlucky.”
He continued: “They [Defoe and Anichebe] are a very formidable partnership.
“Anichebe is physical and strong and everybody knows everything about Defoe; he’s a good striker, experienced and still really quick.
"Maybe they played better than against Hull and Bournemouth, but they won those games.
“Sunderland is a great challenge.”