With just nine games of the Premier League season now remaining, Liverpool will know that they cannot afford any more slip-ups when they welcome Burnley to Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds have drawn four of their last six league games to surrender top spot, and they could find themselves four points behind champions Manchester City by the time they kick off depending on Saturday's results.
Liverpool
© Reuters
Suggestions that Liverpool are bottling the Premier League title race are perhaps a little harsh against a side that has lost just once all season and gone toe to toe with a team widely regarded as one of the best to have ever graced these shores.
However, there is no doubt that they have allowed the destiny of that elusive trophy to slip out of their own hands following an untimely dip in form.
In a position of command at the turn of the year - Liverpool could have gone 10 points clear had they beaten City at the beginning of January - the Reds have seen what was once a seven-point lead overturned into a one-point deficit as the final stages of the season begin to come into view.
Jurgen Klopp's side have won just four of their 11 matches across all competitions so far in 2019 having won 10 of their final 11 in 2018, while they have dropped 11 league points since the turn of the year having surrendered only six from August to December.
It is draws - four in their last six league outings - which have done the most damage in recent weeks, and the other half of Merseyside would have no doubt revelled in the fact that the moment Liverpool's fate was taken out of their own hands came during last weekend's stalemate at Goodison Park.
The Toffees are the final top-half team Liverpool have to face away from home this season, though, and while all four of their remaining matches on the road come against teams fighting for their lives at the bottom, they are all ones the Reds will be expected to win.
The tougher games come at Anfield, where Liverpool must still face Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but their record in front of their own fans will make them favourites in each of those games too.
Liverpool are currently on a run of 35 Premier League home games unbeaten - the fourth longest-run in the competition's history - and have won 12 of their 14 such outings this season while conceding a league-low seven goals in the process.
Klopp will know that this Manchester City side are more than capable of winning all of their remaining games this season, and if they do that then the title will be heading back to the Etihad Stadium once again and Liverpool's best hope of ending their 29-year drought will go begging.
For now, though, the Reds must be solely focused on winning on their own games to keep the pressure on, starting against Burnley on Sunday as they prepare for a season-defining run which also sees them take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Recent form: DDWDWD
Recent form (all competitions): DWDDWD
Burnley
© Reuters
All eyes will be on Liverpool for this match, which may just suit Burnley as they look to pull off a seismic shock at Anfield.
Whereas their hosts have seen their form dip since the turn of the year, Burnley's results have gone in the opposite direction to ease some of the relegation concerns that were beginning to grow at Turf Moor.
The Clarets went on an eight-match unbeaten streak from December 30 to February 23 which included five wins, one of which came against Tottenham Hotspur.
Sean Dyche will also take encouragement from his side's 2-2 draw with a resurgent Manchester United at Old Trafford in January too, although the form which helped them put distance between themselves and the bottom three now appears to have ended.
Back-to-back defeats against Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have left Burnley looking over their shoulders again, with only five points now separating them from 18th-placed Cardiff City.
Cardiff, incidentally, are the only team below Burnley that the Clarets still have to play this season, and after that potentially crucial match against the Bluebirds Dyche's side take on Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton and Arsenal in their final four games of the season.
Safety before that daunting run of fixtures will be the target, then, and they are realistically three wins away from securing their Premier League status for another season.
The upcoming run of fixtures against Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bournemouth and Cardiff look more promising for that goal than this weekend's trip to Anfield, although Burnley have only lost one of their last five league games away from home.
If they are to upset the odds against Liverpool then they will need Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood to win the battle against Virgil van Dijk, with each of their last nine Premier League goals having been scored by one of that striking duo.
Recent form: DDWWLL
Team News
© Reuters
Liverpool could welcome Dejan Lovren back into their side for the first time since January 7 after he recovered from a hamstring injury, although Klopp's reservations over his level of match fitness could lead to him being used from the bench instead.
One man who is almost certain to return to the starting lineup is Roberto Firmino, who was only used as a sub during last weekend's Merseyside derby.
The Brazilian's presence is likely to force Sadio Mane - scorer of six goals in his last five home league games - back out wide left, while Mohamed Salah will be trying to end his longest league drought for Liverpool from the right having failed to score in his last three games.
James Milner is a doubt due to a muscle problem but could recover in time to challenge the likes of Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita for a place in the midfield trio.
Burnley, meanwhile, are still without Steven Defour and Aaron Lennon, but Johann Berg Gudmundsson is pushing for a return to the starting lineup.
Dwight McNeil's good form is likely to be enough for him to keep his place, though, and Dyche could name an unchanged team despite their disappointing home defeat to Crystal Palace last time out.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Heaton; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Barnes, Wood
Head To Head
Burnley have only ever picked up four points from the 27 available to them in Premier League games against Liverpool, with their solitary win coming in August 2016 at Turf Moor.
You have to go back to 1974 for Burnley's last win at Anfield, although they did record a 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture last season to end a 44-year wait for a league point away to Liverpool.
The reverse fixture this term saw Liverpool run out 3-1 winners in December as they came from behind with goals from Milner, Firmino and Xherdan Shaqiri.
We say: Liverpool 3-0 Burnley
Liverpool have been stuttering of late, but the majority of those setbacks have come on the road and they have been very impressive at home throughout the campaign. Burnley will make them work for it, but we're backing Liverpool to get the three points in relatively comfortable fashion.
Barney Corkhill
