Rodgers: We must put Palace loss behind us

The Reds' 21-man squad touched down in Bulgaria on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the tie, in which their hopes of reaching the knockout phase of the tournament rest on obtaining a positive result.

The game comes just days after Palace condemned Liverpool to a fourth straight defeat in all competitions on Sunday, running out 3-1 winners on an afternoon to forget at Selhurst Park.

As Rodgers faced a packed media room at Sofia's Vasil Levski stadium, the manager reiterated his candid assessment that his side have not reached the high standards expected of them in recent weeks.

However, he remained adamant they will approach the contest with Ludogorets aiming to secure a result that will ultimately prove a turning point.

He said: "I've just been trying to get us, as a team, back to the level of confidence that allows us, first and foremost, to perform to our level.

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"I always believe that in sport, and in football in particular, losing can be the making of you as a player and a manager - how you respond to that, learn from it and ultimately move on from it. That is something we are very keen to do.

"Sometimes it just takes a game, one action or one moment that can change a season for you. That's something we have to believe can happen. It hasn't happened as of late, but apart from maybe a half in a game, or the game at Tottenham, we haven't been anywhere near our level and we understand that.

"One thing you can never do is give up - that's something we'll never do. We'll keep fighting and working in the belief that the honesty and commitment of the group will eventually get us the results. That's something we aim to keep working towards." 

Given his candour in assessing his side's recent form, journalists were eager to quiz Rodgers on what methods he is attempting to implement in order to try to get Liverpool back on the winning track.

"When you don't have so much coaching time on the field, it is mostly psychological what you're looking to achieve," explained the Reds boss. "The way I always work at that is to never dwell too much on the past.

"Anyone can make mistakes. We need to be in the present and really focus on the next game. If we dwell too much on the weekend, there's no way we could go out and play this way.

"It's very much psychological - it's about getting the confidence into the players, individually talking with players, and ensuring the environment at the training ground is still a happy place to be.

"For footballers, staff and everyone involved, when you lose a game of football - especially at a club like Liverpool, where it's something we haven't been accustomed to - what's very important is you always retain the hope that the next game is the next opportunity for you.

"Like I said, you cannot dwell on it and you have to make sure the environment is correct - and that mentally you can affect the players in a positive way."

Rodgers continued: "It's vital. That's your job as the leader of the team and the club. We'll always experience disappointments but as a leader, no matter how you feel, you're one of the pillars of the group and of the football club.

"No matter how you feel or how disappointed you are, the players are looking to you for that response and the ability to motivate. That's something that is very, very important in my role - something I feel I have always done all of my life. I never dwell too much on past mistakes or errors, and I look forward.

"The role is critical for the manager to ensure we get out of this slump we're in."

The two teams first met back on matchday one at Anfield in September when Liverpool edged a hard-fought contest against a spirited Ludogorets.

Mario Balotelli's late goal looked to have given the Reds victory, but Dani Abalo netted a stoppage-time leveller for the visitors. 

However, there was still time for Javier Manquillo to win a dramatic penalty, which was expertly dispatched by Steven Gerrard to secure a 2-1 win. 

Rodgers said: "From the first game we played [against Ludogorets] up until now, we haven't been consistent in our performances and sometimes that leads to a lack of confidence.

"Like we've done in a lot of our games, like the Chelsea game and other games, we'll arrive [thinking] that if we can get the first goal, that can give us the confidence - but it's so important that you then fight as a team to try to retain that, whilst playing quality football.

"I think [Ludogorets] have surprised a lot of people in the group and even though they haven't maybe got the points they would have liked, they've still shown in their performances they're technically a very good side and have some very, very good players.

"We have a lot of respect for Ludogorets. The game at Anfield was a very tough game. They're an offensive team that likes to go forward.

"They had a good result at the weekend, drawing 1-1 with CSKA Sofia at the top of the table, so that was a good result for them away from home. But we arrive here still with big motivation.

"We have some outstanding players, but sometimes the results can take the confidence away from the players. But we will certainly look to do everything we possibly can to get the result and make our performance much better than what they have been.

"I know the consequence of that will be results and if we can get one then hopefully it'll be something to build upon for us."