Steven Gerrard wants Liverpool to target 'wounded animal' Arsenal

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"But we've certainly got to do what Manchester United and Chelsea have done to them, which is try and give them very little space and hit them on the counter-attack. Everyone knows that if you give Arsenal time and space they will absolutely crucify you.

"It's a massive game for us and the target on Wednesday night is to try and get a result where we can push on and try and get third place. Obviously at the end of the season our target is a top-four finish, but if Arsenal give us any sniff of catching them then we want to grab it and hopefully that will be on Wednesday night."

Gerrard is also sensing a growing confidence in the Anfield dressing room after a seven-match unbeaten run, though he admits that there is still plenty of room for further improvement.

"It's certainly improving; we're on a good run. But we're not playing terrifically well to be honest. The last few performances have been more about being solid defensively and nicking important goals. We can certainly play better.

"Having the Champions League experience and also finishing in the top four for the past few years will hold us in good stead when the big games come up.

"But we're treating every game like a cup final at the moment because we're desperate for this top four [place]. We certainly understand the pressure coming from Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa, and also teams behind them.

"Because the top four is so important financially to everyone and because every player in the league wants to experience Champions League football, there's a lot of teams fighting for it."