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A season is on the line at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Nine months of hard graft will be defined by the final chapter of the 2016/17 campaign.

Adam Lallana wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It’s exciting,” he told the ECHO.

“It’s good to be going into the final day of the Premier League with something riding on it.

“The manager has spoken about that with us this week. This is what you want as a footballer. These are the occasions you thrive on.

“West Ham last weekend felt like a semi-final and now this is the final. It’s in our hands. We want to make this season a great season.”

Relegated Middlesbrough stand between Liverpool and Champions League qualification. Victory and a top-four finish will be secure. Jurgen Klopp’s men could even bag third spot if Manchester City fail to win at Watford.

Lallana insists a pre-match call to arms isn’t required. He believes both players and supporters alike know exactly what’s required.

“Of course there’s pressure but there have been a lot of high pressure games this season where we’ve really stepped up to the mark,” he said.

“Arsenal at home on the back of losing at Leicester and Tottenham at home after losing to Hull. There was big pressure and the lads responded with two big performances.

(Image: John Powell / Liverpool FC)

“There was huge pressure at West Ham last weekend, especially after the other results the day before. But what I liked was that there was a real calmness around the group. We showed great professionalism with the way we approached it.

“There was the right balance in terms of being up for the game but not getting carried away and I’ve felt the same this week. We know the job this weekend and we trust ourselves to do it.

“It’s important we don’t get restless if a goal doesn’t come in the first 15 to 20 minutes. At West Ham we didn’t get the breakthrough until 35 minutes. We need to trust our ability.

“The supporters know their job. They aren’t stupid, we don’t need to build them up for the weekend. They know there’s a lot riding on it. I’m sure they’ll stay patient like we have to as players.

“The support they have given us home and away throughout the season has been outstanding. They have driven us on and we’ll need them again on Sunday. We want to do it for them.”

Back in November, when Liverpool hit the Premier League summit, they had their sights set higher than simply bagging a Champions League spot. But Lallana insists considering the hurdles they’ve faced since then a top-four finish would be worth celebrating.

Win on Sunday and the Reds will be looking down on both Arsenal and Manchester United when the dust settles.

“It would be a great achievement when you consider the teams that have been going for those places this season,” he said.

“We could hit 76 points, which is a big improvement on last year. The dynamic of the Premier League now is completely different to say five years ago.

(Image: John Powell)

“Leicester City winning the title, Tottenham having two fantastic seasons, plus on top of that you’ve got Chelsea, Arsenal, City and United.

“I’d say the Premier League this season has been as competitive as it’s ever been. That makes getting into the top-four all the more challenging.”

Liverpool’s recent home form hasn’t been great with just two points out of the last nine on offer. They have struggled to break down stubborn opposition but the Reds go into Sunday buoyed by last week’s 4-0 demolition of West Ham.

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Klopp’s switch to a 4-4-2 formation with Lallana playing at the tip of a midfield diamond paid off as two-goal Philippe Coutinho ran riot.

“I think personnel enabled the manager to play that system,” Lallana said.

“If we had played a 4-3-3 with those players either Divock (Origi) or Studger (Daniel Sturridge) would have had to play out wide. I might have been playing out wide. It was the perfect system for the players we had.

“It utilised everyone’s qualities with Studger running in behind and Philippe on the ball constanbtly. I was making runs after being given a licence to roam.

“Philippe is a massive player for us. In big moments in big games you turn to your main man and he was pivotal for us. His ball through to Daniel for the first goal unlocked the door and then two moments of brilliance with his finishing assured us the three points. He’s been fantastic this season.

“Middlesbrough at home is a different challenge. In this type of game we’ve struggled to find the key to unlock teams at times.

“The reins are off them. Does that mean they are going to play with a bit of freedom or are they going to sit in? We need to adapt to however they play but more importantly we need to back ourselves to deliver.”

Lallana’s own game has gone to the next level during his third season with the Reds. The 29-year-old has blossomed under Klopp’s guidance but the England international is happier speaking about the contribution of others.

“It’s been my best year here and that’s coincided with it being the team’s best season,” he added.

“I’ve felt as settled as I’ve ever been and I only feel like that’s going to get better. There’s still plenty of room for improvement.

“Lots of big players have stepped up to the plate this season. Even those in the background. Take someone like Alex Manninger. He hasn’t even played but he’s always been there with little bits of advice, especially when we had that difficult run around January/February time. It was good to have experienced heads like that around.

“His presence counts for a lot as he’s been there and done it. We’re a proper team and it sums up what a great group we have.”

(Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)

Lallana has already played in the Champions League for Liverpool but they aren’t happy memories. Brendan Rodgers’ side crashed out of the group stage in 2014/15 after collecting just five points from six matches.

“It was the season I joined and it was a difficult year, not just for me but probably for a lot of people involved with Liverpool,” he said.

“I’m desperate to play on that stage. I think we’ve got a lot of players here who are good enough to play at that level and test themselves against Europe’s best.”

This weekend is crucial but it’s only a stepping stone to where Liverpool want to be.

“I want to win trophies here,” Lallana added.

“Getting back in the Champions League would be a sign that we’re going in the right direction.

“It’s been a great season but we need to get over the line on Sunday and I’m confident we’ll do that.

“If we make it into the Champions League we deserve it, if we don’t beat Middlesbrough at home then we don’t deserve to be there. It’s as simple as that, really.

“We need to win, enjoy this summer and then come back in pre-season ready to help this club kick on again.”