'Let's stay in the top four for Christmas'
Simon Mignolet is aiming to make it a Merry Christmas for all Liverpool fans by cementing the club's position in the Premier League top four with a win over Arsenal this evening.
With a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League already secured, the Reds can keep their bid to qualify for next season's competition on track by beating the Gunners tonight.
And, though Mignolet insists the game at Emirates Stadium won't be decisive in that regard, he remains keen on providing a happy end to the first half of the league campaign.
"First and foremost, to get into the knockout stages of the Champions League is important," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"We've done that a few weeks back and now, during this busy period, we can focus on the Premier League.
"It's always going to be challenging to be in that top four with all the teams fighting for the same objective, and last year we had to fight until the end - I guess it will be the same this year.
"With Arsenal being a direct opponent, it would be nice to stay on top and in fourth position [with a win], but it's very early still.
"There are a lot of games to be played before the end of the season and it's not going to be only dependent on this one.
"But every step we take has to be in the right direction so let's hope we can be in the top four before and after Christmas."
Liverpool were beaten on three occasions in their first 15 outings of the season across all competitions but have avoided defeat in the 12 fixtures since.
However, Mignolet believes that improvement must continue as the season progresses, with opponents doing their utmost to work out ways to counter Jürgen Klopp's approach.
"It's always an ongoing process, you have to try and be better in every game you play," he added.
"The opponents change, they look at our games and analyse the ways they can defend us best and change things.
"We have to do that as well and keep learning from every game we play to keep improving and move forward.
"After the Tottenham game we knew we had to change something, we have taken that on board but we can't take it for granted and we have to make sure we keep doing the right things game after game."