Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel says that his side are ready to take on Manchester City in next weekend’s title showdown, but that lifting the trophy is still some way off.

The Reds regained top spot in the Premier League with a hard fought win at West Ham on Sunday to keep their dreams of lifting English football’s top prize for the first time in 24 years in their own hands.

City are seen as the Merseysiders’ major rivals for the trophy, with the Sky Blues four points adrift in third place with two games in hand.

Although they seem to have the advantage, if Brendan Rodgers’ side beat their enemies over the weekend and win their remaining four games they cannot be caught.

Skrtel – who has been one of his side’s top performers across the campaign – says that Liverpool are ready for the crunch clash with Manuel Pellegrini’s men, but that he is not thinking about title glory just yet:

“Things are going well but there is still a long way to go,” he told the Liverpool Echo.

“We can’t look too far ahead. We need to keep going game to game and now our focus is on getting three points against Manchester City.

“We will look forward to that challenge. We know the atmosphere created by our fans will be amazing.

“We are going into it in great form and we will be doing everything we can to keep this winning run going.

“It’s exciting. This is why you play football – for a season like this. You want to be up there challenging for titles.

“There are still five games to play and we all want to keep going in this way and extend this winning run. We just need to stay focused and keep working.”

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