Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has played down the hype surrounding his reunion with Sunderland's Asamoah Gyan on Sunday.

Uruguay international Suarez was sent off for a deliberate handball which prevented Ghana from progressing to the semi-finals of the World Cup last summer.

Gyan missed the subsequent penalty and the Africans suffered further misery from the spot as Uruguay advanced to the last four via a shootout.

Both stars of the World Cup, the pair have since transferred to England and will lock horns for their new clubs at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

The strikers are due to shake hands prior to kick-off, but Suarez insists his focus will be on the game and not one player.

"For me he will just be another player and someone playing for Sunderland," Suarez told the Daily Mail.

"It is not about us. It is a game between Sunderland and Liverpool and my focus will be on doing my best for my new team.

"I live for the present and the future. Not the past," he added.

Lively

Suarez scored 81 goals in 110 league games for Ajax before his £22.8million move to Anfield in January, becoming an instant hit with the fans following a lively start to his Liverpool career.

The 24-year-old was one of two big deadline-day buys for the Reds in a frantic transfer window which also saw Andy Carroll arrive in a £35million deal.

The two strikers have only briefly paired up, but Carroll's return to fitness could see Liverpool's new-look strike force see out the season together, although Suarez admits he is happy to play alongside anyone.

"Andy showed at Newcastle that he is a really good player and now I believe we can build a good partnership together," he said.

"All the strikers are good here and I am happy to play with any of them. But I think the strengths Andy and I have will complement each other well."

Suarez looks tailor-made for the Premier League on early showings and he suggests the competitive nature of England's top flight is more enjoyable than Holland's.

"It is more competitive," he said. "At Ajax, against some teams, you just knew you were going to win. Here the lower teams still beat the stronger teams.

"But for players like me it is more open, and I am enjoying it."