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Newcastle defender Danny Simpson is looking forward to facing Liverpool

Newcastle United defender Danny Simpson spoke exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday.

Image: Danny Simpson: Ready for Liverpool

Liverpool entertain Newcastle as part of Super Sunday and former Manchester United star Danny Simpson cannot wait.

Newcastle themselves have coped with many off-field issues with regards their owners in recent years, but Simpson insists the players tend to ignore those matters. "We just have to worry about ourselves individually and as a team. Whatever is going on up there as they say, whatever decisions are getting made have got nothing to do with us," he said. "As long as we're professional, we're looking after ourselves, training well, eating well and making sure we're performing at a weekend. Any of the other stuff you tend to just forget about and go out, perform well and pick up three points and not have any excuses."

Gerrard

Simpson is also a firm fan of Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, insisting he is still one of the best players in the world. "It's a ridiculous shout for anyone to say Steven Gerrard isn't the player he used to be. He's England captain, he's hitting nearly 100 caps for England," he said. "You still see him now, his passing is unbelievable, his passing range, he's still getting about the pitch like he used to. He's a world-class player and any team in the world would have him in their team. He's top class. Every time you play against Liverpool, the main thing is you want to keep Steven Gerrard quiet. If you keep him quiet then Liverpool are quiet." Despite Liverpool's less than inspiring start to the campaign, Simpson is expecting a tough encounter. "I think every single game in the Premiership now, the way the Premiership is at the minute, it's a tight game," said Simpson. "Whether you're sitting at the top or the bottom of the league, it just shows how good our league is at the moment. "There's not one game you would say is an easy game, they're all tough. Anyone who goes into a match thinking it's going to be an easy game then they tend to look embarrassed. "Every game is tough and that's why you need to be focused for every single one of them week in week out. That's what makes it one of the best leagues in the world." Simpson has found himself the subject of praise from his own manager Alan Pardew. "Obviously it's nice to hear your manager say positive stuff about you but I still have to get back into the team, I've played the last couple of games but I need to perform well, I can't get carried away by positive things the manager has said. I need to repay him by performing well for him," he said. "I want to get back to keeping clean sheets and we want to be tough to beat. Last season we had a record for our club in keeping clean sheets. "I want to play my part in that. It's not just me - it's the whole back five and it's the whole team. Defending comes from the front. If I can do my job and do my best for Pardew then we've got players who will win us the game and pick up three points."

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