Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has played down the effect that the international break has had on his side's momentum.
The Reds were on a run of nine wins from their last 10 games heading into the final break of the year, culminating in a 6-1 rout of Watford that saw them climb to the top of the Premier League table.
Liverpool will look to pick up where they left off when they take on Southampton at St Mary's on Saturday, and Klopp was keen to point out that every team had to contend with players being away for the international break.
"Southampton is the next hurdle to jump over. Momentum is something you can talk about after the game and then we can say we have to use the momentum again but nobody knows how it works. What's momentum before the game? Let's try to do our best, let's try to play football, let's try to do what we spoke about, let's try to use what we saw when we prepared for the game and all that stuff," he told reporters.
"The momentum is not something you have to talk about before the game so I don't think about it. It's the same situation for all the other teams too. I only try to describe our situation because you asked about difficulties ahead of this game but it's the same for all the teams - even Southampton: [Jose] Fonte played for Portugal, I don't know where, they have a lot of players who were on the road too so it's no advantage, no disadvantage, it's like it is.
"After international breaks it's a special situation. Usually you have the players here, you can see how they feel, but even then they can get injuries in training. But it feels different when you see them playing and cannot see them playing."
Klopp is sweating over the fitness of in-form playmaker Philippe Coutinho after he picked up a minor hamstring injury while on Brazil duty.
Barney Corkhill
