Neil Warnock: Cardiff City boss hoping to avoid Liverpool 'battering'

Manager Neil Warnock hopes his Cardiff side avoid a "battering" as they aim to boost their Premier League survival hopes against title-chasing Liverpool.

Cardiff, who are 18th and two points adrift of safety, have lost all 10 of their matches against top-six sides this season, conceding 31 goals.

On Sunday, they host a Reds side who go into the weekend top of the league and on an eight-match winning run.

"I'd hate to concede five like we have done," said Warnock.

"I don't like my teams losing concentration like that.

"But when you look at the quality some of these teams have, they could've scored more on the day.

"We've just got to try and give a good account of ourselves for the fans that are going because it's a sell-out - and it probably could've sold out twice more.

"It's going to be a great day. I don't want it to be a lovely occasion but we still get battered."

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Warnock and his Cardiff players are used to confounding expectations, having defied the odds to win automatic promotion from the Championship last season.

The Bluebirds were widely tipped for an instant return to the second tier but, following Tuesday's win at relegation rivals Brighton, they have revived their hopes of surviving.

The result at the Amex Stadium left them two points behind 17th-placed Brighton, though the Seagulls have a game in hand.

Before that victory, Cardiff's relegation chances were rated at 94%. That has now been reduced to 83%, though Warnock is relishing another opportunity to prove others wrong.

"We've still got a massive job to do," he added. "You'd still want to be in Brighton's shoes.

"We're just glad that with four games to go we're still surprising people. I like it when we surprise people."

The odds will be stacked against Cardiff again when they face Liverpool on Sunday.

The last time the Bluebirds beat the Reds was 1959, as the legendary Bill Shankly's first game in charge of Liverpool ended in a 4-0 defeat.

"Was it really? Wow. What a man. My favourite manager of all time," said Warnock.

But the 70-year-old added: "The last time I beat Liverpool was at Crystal Palace a few years ago [in 2014]. It depends on which one you look at."