Liverpool have developed a winning mentality– Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has dismissed suggestions that the upcoming clash against Premier League leaders Arsenal will be a test of their Champions League ambitions.

The Merseyside giants have enjoyed an excellent start to the season with only one loss in nine games, and currently lie in third place behind Chelsea in second.

Saturday’s evening kick-off is billed as a litmus test for the Reds, to see if they have what it takes to make the top-four at the end of the campaign, but Rodgers believes otherwise.

“It is a good benchmark for us,” Rodgers told reporters. “We have shown that we have quality in the team, that we’ve got a winning mentality, which is important, and that we can consistently bring that to the table.

“Saturday won’t be the be-all-and-end-all in terms of whether we can make the top four or not, but I think what we have shown so far is that we are going to be in the conversation.

“I believe we are in a good moment. We have started the season as we would have wanted – strong – and I think we can only get better and improve.

“We have a lot of young players who are still developing and improving and that goes for the front two who everyone is talking about [Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge].

“That bodes well for us. We won’t get carried away. We have to keep our concentration and continue to work hard on the training field.”

As Liverpool are facing one of the Premier League’s best front-lines in the form of Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, the Reds will need to cut out the defensive errors in order to boost their chances of winning as they lead the the rankings with nine.

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