Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren will line up at the heart of Liverpool's defence for the second time when Aston Villa make the trip to Anfield today, with the pair sharing more than just a defensive understanding.
The duo kept a clean sheet in their first outing together at Tottenham Hotspur, with the partnership aided by the Croatian's ability to speak in Sakho's native language.
"It went well, we understood each other and I had the luck that he speaks some French as this helped me too," the former Paris Saint-Germain centre-back told Liverpoolfc.com.
"It is important for us to try not to concede any goals and to remain defensively solid, but it isn't only a defensive job, it's a whole team effort and I hope we continue to do our best to score many goals while stopping as many as possible."
Sakho and Lovren will need to be alert to thwart a Villa side that have started the season well.
"I think they will arrive with self-belief and try to get stuck into us, and we need to be ready and face up to them," the France international said of Saturday's opponents. "We must remain confident and believe in our game. We must be sure of our quality and strength, and let's not forget that we're at home too, with our marvellous support, and that's something to take into account. "We also need to remain focused as it will be an important match."
Sakho is excited to return to Anfield following two tricky away trips as well as the international break.
Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno are in line to make their home bows, with the defender eager to express what a wonderful occasion it will be for them. He explained: "They will feel as I did the first time. I think it's something great to play at Anfield and to proudly wear the shirt.
"They already understand what it means to play for Liverpool, but the feeling will be even greater when they play at Anfield and experience the fantastic support."
