Poyet Tips Suarez To Win ”Player Of The Season Award”

Gus Poyet believes title-challengers Liverpool would be mid-table without Luis Suarez.

The Sunderland boss takes his side to Anfield on Wednesday with the Reds looking to keep tabs on Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Mackems are looking for an unlikely win to boost their hopes of survival, but Poyet’s focus is on one man.

”I hope he is ill,’ admitted the Sunderland boss. ‘Without him they would be mid-table. He should be the player everybody should vote player of the season.

‘But I cannot plan to go and lose and take a 3-0 now. We are not going to do that. We will go and no one expects us to do nothing. We can relax, enjoy our football and if they are better than you, well they have beat practically everybody so why not beat Sunderland?’

‘They have players in form we need to take care of but we need to make sure we go with right attitude and mentality and convinced you can have an upset otherwise you have no chance.

‘We are realistic, I know this could be one of the most difficult games, not only because of the way we have been playing and not scoring and conceding too many, but because of the way Liverpool are playing.

Me, I am looking forward to seeing that because that is when you should be at your best trying to do something special but we do need to be good.’

Poyet is also refusing to accept his players are suffering a post-League Cup Final hangover.

His side have won just one point in two games against relegation rivals and been knocked out of the FA Cup at Hull City.