Manchester United will host second-placed Liverpool in a thriller that will most likely spark memories of the greatest English football rivalry.
United’s caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer surprisingly grew up a Liverpool supporter and the current Liverpool side might have influenced his approach as Manchester United manager.
The Reds are aiming to move back to the top of the Premier League, with title rivals Manchester City facing Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final.
Klopp’s men remedied their wobble, which had seen them draw with Leicester and West Ham, with a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth before their Champions League draw with Bayern Munich.
Solskjaer met Klopp and the duo posed for a photograph that was taken by the Molde press officer Per Lille. Solskjaer briefly spoke about studying Klopp when he was coach of Borussia Dortmund and admitted he wanted to ‘copy’ the German’s counter-attacks.
“It was nice to meet him,” Solskjaer told the Molde website. “I studied him when he was in Dortmund, and that kind of football is something we want to copy – especially the way he counter-attacks and plays offensive, with the speed and intensity they have in their game.
“That’s something we aspire to do ourselves. It will, of course, take some time, but his type of football is inspiring.”
On Friday, Solskjaer said: “We know we’re in for a very tough game because Liverpool have been fantastic this season and they will know as well that to come to Old Trafford it should be a difficult one for them. They pay us respect and we’ll pay them respect. It’s a team full of good players.
“For them it’s a big game, for us it’s a big game, because we want to be in the top four and we’re playing Liverpool. We know how big that game is for Man United, the staff, supporters.
“We’re just looking forward to another challenge for this team because we want to build this team into one that is worthy of Man United’s history and it’s another step if we can win this at home.
“Because Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea away, it was fantastic to win those three away, now we need to perform at home as well [against Liverpool].”