Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to seize a ‘big opportunity’ against Manchester United.
The Reds prepare to entertain Jose Mourinho’s side on Saturday following a run of just one win from their previous seven games in all competitions.
United, in contrast, have enjoyed a flying start by winning six of their first seven, scoring 21 goals in the process, and sit joint-top in the Premier League.
Although the Red Devils will travel to Anfield as hot favourites, Klopp insists that his team are not performing as badly as many have perceived them.
He said: “It’s a big, big, big opportunity.
“We are in a really good moment, not result wise or scoring wise but performances are not as bad as probably a lot of people think.
“We are not so weak to think we don’t have a chance against Manchester United.
“It’s Anfield, it’s our stadium, it’s the first game with the Kenny Dalglish Stand and we want to use all that power we can create at this stadium.
“I don’t think it makes sense to think of it as a normal game, it isn’t and it should never be.
“It’s a fantastic game with two really good football teams against each other.”
The Liverpool manager is also adamant his side can survive without the injured Sadio Mane after he faces up to potentially six weeks on the sidelines.
Mane had been in superb form this season, with three goals in four Premier League games, before suffering a hamstring injury on Senegal duty last weekend.
However, the Klopp insists that Liverpool are more than capable of performing without their star man.
“Obviously we can play football without Sadio because we’ve had to do this a lot of times, more often than we’ve wanted,” he added.
“He’s a high-quality player, we all know this and he’s been very unlucky with injuries.
“It’s like it is, a lot of players from this international break got injuries. It’s not only Sadio; it’s (Marouane) Fellaini and a lot of players.
“So that’s always a problem, in this case, it’s only Sadio and nobody else and perhaps that’s good news.
“We can play without him even if we would love to have him in the lineup.”