On Sunday Liverpool will be looking for a repeat of last season’s meetings with the Red Devils when they face league leaders Manchester United at Anfield, kick-off at 14:00 hours (GMT). The Reds hope to have Premier League joint-top scorer Fernando Torres back for the all-important clash on Merseyside. Manager Rafa Benitez confirmed that the striker worked alongside his teammates at the Melwood training ground. “Fernando trained today and has been working to a specific programme.” The Spain and Liverpool number ‘9’ will be assessed further on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Premier League classic.

In what is their worst run for more than 22 years, the Merseysiders have lost their last four games in all competitions. The winless run (3 games in the league) has seen the Reds slip down to eighth in the Premier League table, with 15 points from nine games.

Rafa Benitez’s side last run-out ended in defeat, with Liverpool slipping to a 2-1 Champions League loss at home to Olympique Lyon. The defeat leaves them third in Group E, and the Reds now face an uphill battle to reach the knock-out stages of the tournament.

The Anfield club lost their last league outing 1-0 away to Sunderland. Fernando Torres watched the game from the sidelines as the Merseysiders fell to their fourth defeat in a row. A freak first-half goal from Bent was enough to edge Liverpool at the Stadium of Light.

Up until the match against the Black Cats, the Spaniard was the Premier League’s top goalscorer with eight goals for his club. However, his absence in Saturday’s loss against Sunderland, allowed Bent to draw level with Torres.

Last season Liverpool finished runners-up in the league and pushed Manchester United all the way for the title. The race went down to the penultimate game of season in the closest title race for over a decade. Alex Ferguson’s side finished four points ahead of Liverpool to win league title number 18 for Man U. Both teams have won 18 titles, and the fight is now on to see which club can hold the bragging rights as the club with the most number of league titles in English football.

Sunday’s opponents top the Premier League with 22 points, and since losing at Burnley two months ago, Manchester United have won 10 games and drawn just the one. Their midweek win away to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, courtesy of a Valencia strike on 86 minutes, extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions.

The Merseysiders beat their North-West neighbours both home and away in the league during the 2008/2009 season. It was the first time that Liverpool had achieved a league double over United in seven years.

Last season Liverpool came back from behind to win 2-1 at Anfield. United’s Carlos Tevez opened the scoring with just three minutes gone on the clock. Wes Brown put through his own net to make it 1-1, before second-half substitute Ryan Babel clinched all three points for the home side netting the Red’s winner 13 minutes from time.

The corresponding fixture at Old Trafford ended 4-1 to the Reds. Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead from the spot on 23 minutes, but Fernando Torres levelled for the visitors with 28 minutes gone on the clock. The forward caught Vidic dwelling on possession before bursting through and slotting the ball past the keeper. It was a classy finish from the Spaniard whose goal was very similar to the one he scored for Spain against Germany in the Euro 2008 final.

Gerrard with a penalty, Fabio Aurelio and Dossena with a goal in the last minute completed Liverpool’s comeback. The loss was United’s heaviest ever in the Premier League, and their heaviest home defeat since back on New Year’s Day 1992.

A victory for Liverpool against Manchester United would bring the point deficit between the two clubs down to a manageable four. But a win for the visitors would be the Anfield club’s worst run of form for 56 years, and would leave them trailing the Red Devils by ten points.

Photo: J.A. Sirvent