Skrtel: There'll be no let-up from Blues
Martin Skrtel doesn't expect any let-up in standards from Chelsea when Liverpool go head-to-head with the newly-crowned Barclays Premier League champions today.
The Blues secured the title last weekend courtesy of a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, meaning they'll contest their final three matches knowing they cannot be caught at the division's summit.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will look to shorten the gap between themselves and Manchester United to four points, after the Red Devils pushed on with victory over Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
"Chelsea are champions already and perhaps it is different when you know you don't have much to play for," Skrtel reflected at Melwood. "But when you're a footballer you always play for yourself, play for your team and play for your fans.
"It'll be the same as any other game for them and that's why it is not going to be easy. It's also Liverpool against Chelsea, which are always massive games. There is a big rivalry between the teams, so it'll be a good game.
"We will go there, try to beat them and get the three points. We need the points, that's the main thing, but it'll be difficult - it'll be a hard game as always against Chelsea, but we're confident."
Chelsea boast the league's only unbeaten home record this season and have already narrowly defeated Liverpool in London when they edged a tight Capital One Cup semi-final 1-0 in January.
"We have to play our game and try to control their strengths," Skrtel added. "We know where they are good, what their key strengths are and what their weaknesses are.
"The main thing will be to play our game, do what we know to do and try to be better than them. We are confident, we know what we need to play for and we just need to show that on the pitch."