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Premier League | Gameweek 17

Dec 17, 2023 at 4.30pm UK

Anfield

Liverpool
0 - 0
Man Utd

Nunez (21'), Endo (45+2')

Mainoo (27'), Amrabat (35'), Shaw (88'), Rashford (90+1'), Dalot (90+4')
Dalot (90+4')

Jurgen Klopp wary of threat Manchester United could provide on Sunday

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 15 December 2023

Klopp wary of threat Man United could provide on Sunday

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says that the negative talk surrounding Manchester United makes the Red Devils a bigger threat on Sunday.

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has insisted that last season's 7-0 win over Manchester United will have no impact on Sunday's Premier League contest at Anfield.

The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table, with an impressive season seeing them collect 37 points from their 16 matches, suffering just one defeat in the process.

Man United, on the other hand, have already lost seven times in the league this season, and they are down in sixth position in the table, 10 points off the summit.

Liverpool will be the favourites to triumph on Sunday, but Klopp has insisted that writing off Man United makes the away team an even bigger threat, with the Merseyside team's head coach calling for concentration ahead of the meeting between the two giants of English football.

"The 7-0 we knew on the day was a freakish result that happens once in life pretty much," Klopp told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

General view of the scoreboard as Liverpool beat Manchester United 7-0 on March 5, 2023 © Reuters

"And if it helps anybody for the next game, it's the team who lost 7-0 and not the team who won 7-0, that's another thing. If you take it all out of consideration then we just play a football game against the rival, the historical rival, of Liverpool FC, at home at Anfield.

"That itself must make it a special game and that's what I want to see from us: a special game. Really understand the situation and give your all – that's all I need.

"I do not like all this talk around it (Man United's form). The more bad things people say about them, the stronger they will show up. That is always the case. I don't like that.

"I don't know about the situation there. I am interested in our situation. It is a home game and we have to show up. We are in our own stadium, we have to create an atmosphere and go for them and not think about anything else.

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring their second goal on November 30, 2023 © Reuters

"I will make sure from our point of view that we will be 100% focused on the right stuff, but we are human beings and there is a noise around. When even I am aware of the noise that means that there is obviously something going on. For us it is an important game."

Liverpool have been victorious in all 11 of their home matches this season, while Man United have not managed to triumph at Anfield since January 2016.

Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the match when the Red Devils last managed to win away from home against the Merseyside team, with the result coming under the management of Louis van Gaal.

Erik ten Hag's side will enter the contest off the back of successive losses to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich in the Premier League and Champions League respectively, but they have won four of their last five league matches on their travels.