Liverpool welcome Manchester United to Anfield on Thursday night, in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie, with both sides desperate to secure a positive result in their push for European glory in 2015/16.
Disappointingly for these bitter rivals, their first-ever clash in European competition comes in its second tier, marking a downturn in fortunes as the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea have tightened their grip at the summit of English football in recent seasons.
Nevertheless, both Jurgen Klopp and Louis van Gaal are approaching the Europa League with the utmost respect, with a place in next season's Champions League on the line for the tournament winners.
"I noticed that you have a negative view [of the Europa League in England], but against teams like Midtjylland there were how many fans? 58,000," Van Gaal said during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, as relayed by Sky Sports.
Klopp expressed a similar view as he addressed reporters, including the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce, that "all the Liverpool world is excited about it."
While Liverpool will have the home advantage in the first leg, they will not be taking their opposition lightly—so who will win out in this all-important European clash?
Date: Thursday, 10 March, 2016
Time: 8.05 p.m. GMT / 3.05 p.m. ET
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK only) / FOX Sports 2 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: BT Sport Player (UK only) FOX Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)
Form Lines (Last 5 Games)
Liverpool: D-W-D-W-W
Man United: W-W-W-W-L
Team News
Naming Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Christian Benteke on his substitutes' bench for Sunday's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace, Klopp acknowledged a positive juncture in his first months as Liverpool manager.
"To be honest, I have never had a bench with this quality in 15 years as a manager—this bench was important," he told reporters after the win, per Melissa Reddy of Goal.
Heading into Thursday's encounter with the Red Devils, Klopp finds himself in a similar position, with only Jon Flanagan and James Milner unavailable from the side that snatched victory at Selhurst Park.
Milner is set to miss out with a virus, while Flanagan is out of contention having been omitted from Klopp's 25-man squad for the competition.
Lucas Leiva, Kevin Stewart, Jordan Rossiter, Joe Gomez and Danny Ings remain on the sidelines, but otherwise Klopp has a strong squad to select from.
Van Gaal finds himself in a less favourable position, however, as the Dutchman navigates an injury crisis at the business end of 2015/16.
Wayne Rooney, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Will Keane, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Phil Jones are all still out, though the latter will be pushing for a return in the second leg, with Van Gaal likely to turn to his youth ranks once again.
United's problems will be magnified on Thursday night, with both Jesse Lingard (suspended) and Adnan Januzaj (cup-tied) added to the list of absentees.
Van Gaal is hoping to call upon Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia, though, with the 30-year-old set to take a place on the bench, as his manager revealed on Wednesday.
Predicted Lineups
Having fielded a strong lineup in Sunday's clash with Palace, Klopp is unlikely to make many changes as he pits himself against his former Bundesliga adversary, Van Gaal.
The absence of Flanagan and Milner will affect his selection, however, while Coutinho and Sturridge will be considered for a return to the starting lineup.
Simon Mignolet will continue in goal, with Nathaniel Clyne coming back into defence in place of Flanagan, joining Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho and Alberto Moreno, shielded by a two-man midfield of Emre Can and Jordan Henderson.
With Milner unavailable, Coutinho will likely take up his regular role on the left flank, alongside Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, interchanging with one of Sturridge and Divock Origi.
Van Gaal is still able to select a competitive lineup for the trip to Merseyside, despite his myriad absentees.
David De Gea will take up his place in goal, behind a back four of Matteo Darmian, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind and Marcus Rojo.
Mirroring Klopp's 4-2-3-1, Van Gaal could opt for the midfield pairing of Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin, with Ander Herrera stationed ahead of them in the No. 10 role.
This leaves two of Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay and Juan Mata in support of Marcus Rashford as lone striker—though Van Gaal could leave one of his midfielders out and field all four.
Likely Liverpool XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno; Henderson, Can; Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho; Sturridge.
Likely Man United XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schneiderlin, Carrick; Mata, Herrara, Martial; Rashford.
Players to Watch
Emre Can
German midfielder Can is striking a rich vein of form in a Liverpool shirt, and this could continue with another dominant display in the middle of the park on Thursday night.
The 22-year-old has excelled in Liverpool's last two victories, at home to City and away to Palace, showcasing his talents as a powerful, all-round midfield option.
With United's spine suffering due to their injury crisis, Can's surging runs from deep could provide Liverpool with the key to sealing a priceless win.
Marcus Rashford
With two goals in each of his first two appearances for the club—his debut as substitute against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League and his full debut at home to Arsenal in the Premier League—Rashford announced himself in style.
A pacy, dynamic centre-forward who operates off the shoulder of opposition centre-backs, the 18-year-old has carved out a bright future for himself at Old Trafford, and he could trouble Lovren and Sakho on Thursday night.
But as West Bromwich Albion's physical approach proved on Sunday, when Tony Pulis' side grabbed a 1-0 win at home to the Red Devils, Rashford is far from the finished article—but if he hits form at Anfield, he could be central to United's success.
Key Battle
Anthony Martial vs. Nathaniel Clyne
Battling expectation in his first months at United, following a £36 million move from Monaco last summer, Martial is beginning to find his feet in Manchester, scoring seven goals and registering four assists in 23 league appearances.
By contrast, Clyne has settled and found consistency immediately with the Reds, having made the switch from Southampton in July.
The England international offers Liverpool a stable, if unspectacular, option at right-back, and if the Reds are to keep the fleet-footed Martial quiet at Anfield, he will need to draw upon his defensive nous.
Odds
Liverpool: 23/20
Man United: 31/10
Draw: 23/10
Odds via Oddschecker and correct at time of writing.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.
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