Lucas Leiva hopes to play a bigger role at Liverpool in the upcoming season and help the Anfield side to end their long league title drought.The 21-year-old Brazil international midfielder will miss the first few weeks of the season due to Olympic national-team duty but hopes to stake a regular starting spot after returning from China.

"Of course it's going to be difficult but I will be trying my best (to get regular starts)," said Lucas, who started only 12 Premier League matches for the Reds last season.

"We had a good second half of the season but we didn't win the title. Hopefully this year we can win the title and this is our challenge now.

"I think that winning the league is most important because it's been an 18 year wait since we last won it.

"The focus is to win something but the most important thing now is the Premier League."

While keen to be a part of Liverpool's title challenge, the main priority for Lucas right now is the Olympics as Brazil look to capture their first ever football gold medal.

"Of course Liverpool would have wanted me playing in Liverpool because I will miss some games - some important games - but they know that this (the Olympics) is important for me and for the country.

"Hopefully, we will win this title and then I can return to Liverpool and think about the Premier League, the Champions League and the other cups."

The Brazilians are regarded as one of the favourites despite their lack of gold medals but the former Gremio player knows that it will not be easy to live up to the hype.

"It's good to be favourites but now we just have to think about taking it game by game," he said.

"It's difficult but now we have to focus on our two friendlies against Singapore and Vietnam and then think about the Olympics.

"It's normal for Brazil to be thought of as favourites so we just have to take it game by game and try to do our best."

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