The Reds were beaten 3-1 at the KC Stadium earlier this season, but the Brazilian is keen to make amends for that defeat and get back to winning ways when they meet on Wednesday

Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool must beat Hull City on Wednesday if they have realistic aspirations of Champions League qualification.

Brendan Rodgers’ side were top of the Premier League on Christmas Day, but now sit fifth in the table after consecutive 2-1 defeats at Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.

The Merseysiders’ home form was a major factor in their strong first half of the campaign, having won eight of their nine top-flight games at Anfield, scoring 25 goals in the process.

And Brazil international Lucas feels continuing this trend in 2014 is key to their hopes of reaching Europe’s premier club competition for next term – starting with victory over Hull, who beat Liverpool 3-1 in last month’s reverse fixture at the KC Stadium.

“If we want to be in the top four, we want to win these kinds of games,” he told the club’s official website.

“It will be a great opportunity to win, as we lost against them away from home. To get three points is the most important thing and to keep climbing up the table.

“It’s becoming a very hard place to come. Probably our record in the last few years at home was not the best, but we’re getting back to what Anfield used to be – a very hard place to come and play against us.

“We are happy with the way we are playing the games and beating teams at home. We just hope we keep that going on New Year’s Day.”