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The midfielder, recently described by Mark Hughes as arguably City's best player of the season, is relishing the challenge from Rafa Benitez's side and said: "I think the Liverpool game is a big test for us, if we can get ahead of them and beat them, that will show where we are.
"They have a big squad, great players and some world-class ones too, but on the day we are hopeful that we can beat them."
And just like Liverpool's crowd have often helped them through games in the past, Ireland is confident that the Blues' faithful inside CoMS will provide the type of backing seen against Chelsea and Portsmouth in recent weeks.
He added: "The expectancy from the crowd will be huge after the way we played against Portsmouth and the fans are giving us a really big lift at the moment.
"You feel like you can’t be beaten at home when the fans are with you like they were on that day and in the previous home game."
Turning to himself, the 22-year-old has impressed many with his stamina and tireless running this season, and he puts that down to the work he did over the summer.
"I have done a lot of martial arts training, working on speed, agility and power," he told us. "I wanted a few days off before I got back into the training ahead of pre-season, but because the Middlesbrough defeat was such a heavy one I started straight away. I knew from the hard work I’d put in I’d feel the benefits.
"I spent six weeks in the summer working on this and thankfully it has paid off. I feel very fit, much stronger and I feel like I can run all day.
"I did a bit of powerlifting as well, but it was really enjoyable and I’m still doing it twice a week now. I can see the benefits and the changes during the game, whatever you put in, you get out.
"I’m really happy I got the award and I worked really hard to get into the team and now I’m working hard to try and stay in the team. I’ve got to keep that going now for the next month and the month after so it’s really important that I stay consistent."
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