"Manchester United game is the derby for me", says Jurgen Klopp

will face their rivals

in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool is six points behind the fourth-placed team, but they have a game in hand. Man United is eleven points behind leaders Arsenal, but they can reduce the gap if they win at Anfield.

Ahead of the match,

said these games between two of English football's biggest rivals are like a derby.

"It is the derby for me, to be honest,"

Klopp told Sky Sports

"It's a massive one, and over the years it has always been difficult games and great atmospheres in both stadiums. I respect what they are doing so it is a big game.

"It is actually clear over the [recent] years, obviously it didn't work out exactly to the extent they wanted it to work out, but with bringing Erik ten Hag in - and you just need to look at their squad when the squad was finally together.

"When all the boys were in, when (Raphael) Varane was in, when Casemiro was in, when (Christian) Eriksen came, and all these kinds of things.

"It's obviously not a squad that is built together for the next 10 years, it is a squad for now, but super-experienced, super quality players coming in.

"I think for both [teams] pretty much it's worth more than three points, just because I know that United they are still 100 per cent in the fight for winning the league, definitely - everybody probably knows that.

"And yes, for us, of course, it is super, super important as well, because we want to make the next step to get closer to the proper area where we want to be.

"Of course, I think we can do that, but we have to prove it. It's not about me now saying we can do it - there is a lot of work between my words and the actual outcome.

"I felt always the full importance of this game whenever we played them.”

Manchester United manager Eric Ten Hag who ended their trophy drought after six years last week in the EFL Cup final also believes winning at Anfield is the next step for his team.

"That is the next step we have to make then,"

said Ten Hag.

"I think also we had away from home really good performances. The pitch is the same size everywhere, there are three refereeing with the fourth, the ball is round, there is air in the ball. We have to play and make it our game."

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