Mignolet hoping to finish 2015 on a high
Simon Mignolet is hoping to take some positive momentum into the New Year by keeping what would be a significant clean sheet in tonight's clash with Sunderland.
The Belgian recorded his 15th Barclays Premier League shutout of 2015 in the 1-0 win against Leicester City on Boxing Day, a statistic only matched by Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
But, unlike Manuel Pellegrini's side, the Reds still have one more fixture to play before the year is out, meaning Mignolet has the chance to claim a 16th clean sheet that will leave him unmatched by his peers over the last 12 months.
The 27-year-old admits that provides motivation on a personal level, but insists his priority is helping the team get a win that will ensure they stay in touch with the top four.
“The nicest feeling as a goalkeeper is winning, that’s the initial aim before a game,” Mignolet told Liverpoolfc.com.
“If you can do it with a clean sheet then that’s the best feeling you can get out of a game. It’s 15 [clean sheets] now and hopefully we can make it 16 after Sunderland but we know it’s going to be tough and we will need that to try and get the three points which is the most important thing when you play away from home.
“We want to get a few good results on the bounce now. We had that one against Leicester and hopefully it becomes six out of six against Sunderland. That would be nice before the turnaround in the year.”
Mignolet takes on the club he spent three years with prior to his move to Anfield when Liverpool run out at the Stadium of Light.
As a result, he takes little joy from seeing the Mackems mired in the relegation zone, though he is keen for any revival to wait until after full-time this evening.
He added. “Obviously when you’re an ex-Sunderland player, you feel for them because I’ve still got a lot of people I know and friends up there. It’s always going to be nice going back there.
“I’ve always had a nice reception from the fans and the people who still work there, so you don’t really want to see them at the bottom of the table. They’ve been struggling for the last couple of years but they’ve managed to maintain their status in the Premier League.
“I hope they can do it again this year after the game against us. I’m hoping they can get a lot of good results so they can make sure they can stay in the Premier League.”
A number of the Liverpool squad will be coming up against a former colleague in Fabio Borini during tonight's game, but Mignolet has revealed that any prior knowledge of opposition players makes little difference to preparations.
He said: “I don’t think it makes any difference because when you prepare yourself in the best professional manner, you know all the qualities and the dangerous aspects of the opponents.
“I think that’s for every game we play in the analysis we do and all the information we get from the coaching staff. We know what the strengths and weaknesses are of the opponent and we know that in any other game.”