PREVIEW : MANCHESTER UNITED V LIVERPOOL
Scene-setter: After losing 2-0 in last Thursday’s first leg at Anfield, United must win by at least three goals in order to progress to the quarter-finals. A 2-0 win would send the tie into extra-time with the possibility of penalties looming large, though a single away goal for Liverpool would be disastrous.
Form guide: Louis van Gaal’s men drew 1-1 with West Ham in the Emirates FA Cup sixth round on Sunday thanks to Anthony Martial’s equaliser, which brought an end to a run of consecutive defeats in all competitions. Although the Reds were beaten by Liverpool last week, fans can draw confidence from our four preceding wins over the Merseysiders in the Barclays Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp's side recently lost the Capital One Cup final to Manchester City but that penalty shootout defeat at Wembley appears to have galvanised them, given that they have since chalked up three consecutive wins in all competitions - including a comfortable 3-0 success over the Blues in the league.
Latest team news: Bastian Schweinsteiger returned from injury as a substitute against West Ham at the weekend and the German may come back into the starting XI on Thursday. Jesse Lingard missed the first leg through suspension and is now expected to feature, but Wayne Rooney will not be involved after telling reporters that he won’t return from injury until after the international break. Luke Shaw, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Will Keane are all still missing.
View from the dressing room: “We need to have a good start on Thursday, with intensity. It's like a final for us. We need a comeback and I'm sure that the atmosphere in Old Trafford will take us closer to that goal. I'm sure it's possible.” – Juan Mata
Legend's view: "We can’t afford to concede and we need to show the intent to get at them. The atmosphere will be key – we need to build one inside the stadium and I’m sure we will because, whenever United play Liverpool, it’s always a great atmosphere. Hopefully we can do that and it will make Liverpool a bit nervous." - Gary Pallister
Opposition manager: Klopp refused to get carried away after his side earned a clear advantage in the first leg and has remained calm ahead of Thursday’s return. “It was good, from the first second to the last second, with only a few minutes in the second half when we lost control,” he said. “2-0 is a perfect result. We would have liked to have won by more clearly, but there is nothing to criticise. As a human being, I could really celebrate and say it is the best and greatest ever but I don’t want to set a limit for them, I don’t know how strong they can be. We are in a good position now and want to go to the next round but for this, we have to play like this again.”
Danger man: Daniel Sturridge’s return to fitness is undoubtedly of great importance to Liverpool’s cause, yet the England international would struggle to score goals without the creativity of diminutive playmaker Coutinho. The talisman has even won the approval of Brazil legend Pele, who recently told LFC TV: “Our country has many brilliant players in Europe. There are other good young Brazilians in Europe at the moment but they don’t have Philippe’s experience. He grew up in Europe, moving to Italy when he was just 17 or 18 – so he’s a more experienced player already.”
Sub-plots: It is currently 3-3 between Louis van Gaal and Jurgen Klopp in a rivalry that began in Germany when they were in charge of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively. Both earned two Bundesliga wins each, before notching a further win each with United and Liverpool this season.
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