Klopp plays down Mourinho rivalry ahead of ´special´ Manchester United clash

Jurgen Klopp insists he has no rivalry with Jose Mourinho and is simply looking forward to “one of the most special games in world football” when Liverpool take on Manchester United on Saturday.

United head back to Anfield having frustrated their hosts in the corresponding fixture last season, drawing 0-0 despite Liverpool monopolising possession.

Despite annoyance around the club at Mourinho’s style of play in that game, Klopp has no personal grievance with the United boss.

“I don’t have personal rivalries with other managers,” the Liverpool manager told a pre-match news conference. “I don’t understand the game like this.

“It’s a massive game and I would love to ask the Premier League to give both teams more time to prepare for a game like this. Our fans are waiting for this game for two weeks at least – if not, since we played them last year – and both teams have exactly two days to prepare.

240 – Liverpool’s games have seen more goals than any other @premierleague side since Jurgen Klopp took charge (F146 A94). Anniversary. pic.twitter.com/0FRJxdXI2H

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 8, 2017

“Jose Mourinho teams play like they have to in certain moments – at the moment, they are in a much better situation than they were last year when we played them.

“We know how Manchester United’s playing, with fantastic players involved in the team. We know about the qualities of [Romelu] Lukaku, [Marcus] Rashford, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, [Juan] Mata, all these guys.”

On the enormity of the game, Klopp continued: “Obviously the opponent has big quality, but we are still positive when we think about the game.

“We are really looking forward to it. It’s one of the most special games in world football. If you are not involved, you would watch it 100 per cent. We know this and we respect this. We want to perform and we want to get a result.”

Liverpool have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions, but Klopp maintains his side are confident.

“We are not so weak that we have to think we don’t have a chance against Manchester United,” he said. “It’s Anfield, it’s our stadium, it’s the first game with the Kenny Dalglish Stand.

Klopp: “We want to use all the power we can get and create in this stadium.” pic.twitter.com/TcEYGGfkzn

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 13, 2017

“We want to use all the power we can create at this wonderful stadium. I don’t think it makes sense if we treat it like a normal game; it isn’t and it should never be.

“It doesn’t mean we can get more than three points, but it means there are no excuses, we must try everything. I don’t understand it as pressure. I understand it as an opportunity.”